Multiverse 5 Snippet 5

 Sitrep: 

  So, I did the map of PRI land (I don't remember off the top of my head what I called it) I am going to do regional maps for PRI 3 later.

I sent MV5 off to Goodlifeguide, they should have it back to me sometime next week.

  In other news, the Pantheon project has grown into a novel. I'm 129 pages into it, I'm at the half way point. I've got 1 more chapter and then I'll stop and shoot it off to the Betas. :) (I promise this time!)

I have a cover in mind and am thinking about how to get it done in between other stuff.

My To-Do list keeps growing. Every time I scratch 1 item off I add 2 more. Fun.

On to the snippet!

Burrow

The following is classed as a scifi story not fantasy. You'll see why when you read the full story. It is another story that might turn into a full novel some day. (I already have a follow up story planned!)

“Stomper!” a voice screamed as the thunder of feet on the ground began to carry the news across the warren. Everyone looked up fearfully to the ceiling as they passed on the message. They began to move, slow at first, but then in the opposite direction of the sighting and of course downward. Always downward, though such instincts could be counterproductive to survival in some cases.

The Roo began to bottleneck at narrow choke points which caused a panic. Stampedes happened as the giant herbivores stomped closer and the dirt began to fall.

“Easy now, calmly, I said calmly,” the counter said, trying to get people to move with care.

Then the first cave-ins were reported.

Lop Ear rushed through the group to the high caverns. He went on all fours at one point, even bouncing off the walls to get around people. A few times he bounced off people too. The ground shook with every footfall. The air was cloudy with dust.

“You are going the wrong way!” a breeder complained. He ignored the complaint. He got to a hatch, stopped to catch his breathing, and then removed the pins holding it in place. He lifted it carefully and looked out. He went back and grabbed a spear, pulled the cover off the tip and then went back to look.

Lop Ear snarled in anger as he poked his head up from the hole to see the Stomper. It was more than one; others were in the distance but working the grove of trees upwind far from the burrow. It had tentacles on the front and long heavy legs. The thing browsed the trees, ripping leaves and fruit off of them.

As tempting as it was to attack, he forced himself to stand firm near the root of the opposing tree. It was too late; if he went to attack the beast now, it could fall and destroy what he sought to protect. No, the warren would just have to cope with the disaster to come.

Each foot stomp shook the caverns. When one foot came down too hard, it went through the top layer and the beast stumbled before it recovered. It moved away, sidling away from the unstable ground.

The tree began to release toxins in the air to defend itself. The beast made a loud trumpeting sound as thorns began to prick its tentacles. The thorns were the tree's second level of defense.

After one more browse of tentacles, the beast moved away and then towards a copse of trees upwind and thus avoiding the smells the tree had released to warn others of its kind.

Lop Ear noted the direction and sighed. It was through hard ground so the tunnels there should be safe. He watched until the beast was beyond the third tree and then ducked down to see what the damage was and if he could help dig some people out if they were still alive.

======

The defender went back down into the warren and to the largest chamber near the collapsed tunnels. Doc was there triaging the wounded.  The brown and white spotted Roo had to listen to plenty of hearts with a hollowed-out horn, reassuring those who had been stressed by the disaster. He used pieces of volcanic glass to magnify small things to see bigger.

Cloud eyes were common ailments of the old as well as stress on their heart. Gas was another; those who ate too much of a certain diet tended to get it and complain constantly.

A check of the stool and an order of medicinal herbs would fix someone up for a time.

None of that applied here though, so as soon as he was certain the patient was in no danger of death, he moved on to check others. Occasionally, he had to bandage a wound or set a broken limb. Those Roo that had been trampled he had to check. There were a few that had died in the crush of bodies, and the diggers were ready to move them on to the next life. Their families cried as they sorted out their belongings.

He shook his head and moved on.

~======~

As soon as the all clear was announced, Counter sent groups of growers up to check the trees dithering the entire time about the harvest. Diggers were pulled in from the projects to dig out the tunnels in order to check the damage and shore up areas that needed it.

Assistants did a head count. They received a list of those that had died in the tramplings and those still missing. Grimly the diggers got to work, tapping and pausing to listen before working on the collapsed areas again. Hours later many were just bodies but a few were smart or lucky enough to have survived the collapse. The smart ones managed to stick near a structure and create a pocket of air as quickly as possible. They then waited to be dug out.

Six Roo had been trapped near where the Stomper's foot had come through the roof of a tunnel complex. They'd dug themselves out and then crossed over the open land to a nearby tunnel and back inside. They excitedly told others of their adventure, embellishing it as they did.

Lop Ear just shook his head.

~======~

Multiverse 5 Snippet 3

 Sitrep:

So, I got the manuscript back from Rea. I am sitting on it while I work on a few additions. (maps!)

 In other news, I'm 1/4 done Pantheon.

On to the snippet! 

 

Still in The Collection:

One would think this war was against another tribe, but of course, that was not so. The giants were monstrous, yes, and primal, but they were unorganized and lacked much in the way of technology. For some they barely clothed themselves, and a club was the best weapon available.

The goblins were scattered and not united. The elves kept to themselves unless provoked. No, this was a war between men. Professor Jaroll Verax shook his head as he studied the painting. They tried to blame the other tribes but in the end man only had themselves to blame for their shortcomings.

Not that they would ever see it that way. No way.

He looked at the line of eager students out the window and sighed. “What are we on?”

“Seven, sir,” his wife and assistant replied. When they were in working hours, she was all business, especially in front of the public.

“Very well, send the next applicant in,” he said.

He listened to the speal from the lad but other than being muscular he was of little use. He had cotton between his ears and was classic jock, good for moving heavy bits but that was it. He sent the lad on his way and then went to the door.

“This is a meticulous job that requires hours of study and research through books,” he called out to the assembly. “It pays little, but for those truly interested, the work is its own reward.”

He was not surprised when a majority of the applicants faded away within moments. Only three stubbornly remained. He waited a moment and then motioned to the trio in.

There were two lads, both straplings and a lass. The lass looked every inch as stubborn as his wife, and he had a sinking feeling she would back this one's application to the hilt.

He pointed to her first. “Ladies first. Name?” he asked curtly.

“Ester Able,” she replied with a soft voice.

“Have you any experience with historical archives?” he asked.

“I worked in the city library until it burned down,” the girl replied.

He nodded. “So you know the index system?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Ah? Have we met?”

“I saw you at some social functions before the war,” she said.

He studied her. She had a matron-style hair updoand a prim conservative look but she looked back at him with cool eyes.

He nodded slowly. “All right,” he said as he turned to the second lad. “You are?”

“Reg Fauxcore,” the lad said with a bit of a stutter. He seemed rather nervous.

“What did you do before this application?”

“I, ah, worked as a bus boy. And I've done messenger duty,” the lad stated. He had long black hair pulled back in a pony tail but had a powerful smell about him. His clothes were rather ragged.

“Are you a student at the University?”

The lad shook his head.

The professor grimaced. “I'm afraid this job is for students only,” he said firmly.

The lad looked ready to cry but nodded. He started to back away. “Wait,” the professor said. He fished out a pence and flicked it to the lad with a thumb flick. The lad fumbled it but caught it. “For your trouble.”

The lad nodded and took off.

The professor turned his eyes on the other male. “And now we're down to two. Name?”

“Dapper Harpin,” the lad said. He had acne but was relatively clean. He did have the odd scent of smoke.

“Been smoking?”

The lad grimaced. “No, sir. I was pulled in to the bucket chain.”

“Ah,” the professor said with a nod. “I don't take to smoking. It's a bad habit, and it can lead to some disastrous accidents.”

“My grandfather had a pipe but I never liked smoking,” Dapper replied.

“Ah?” the professor frowned as he tried to place the name. “I remember your name for some odd reason …”

“I am in Professor Trem's course and Professor Quill's history course.”

“Quill. You applied for the internship but you were passed over.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Found other work?”

“With Master Lox and then Master Faw and then Master Pen.”

“Pen,” the professor's eyes lit. “You were the lad he turfed out for printing his schoolwork?”

“I was also printing my first monograph,” Dapper replied with a nod and grimace.

The professor blinked. “I see,” he said in an admiring tone of voice. “Bold brass ones, lad,” he replied.

Dapper said nothing.

“It isn't uncommon for students to do that though. You have to write your thesis monograph somehow after all. Get very far?”

“Not far enough,” Dapper sighed. “Sorry, sir,” he said after a moment.

“Not a problem. You won't have much opportunity to use my materials here, but you will learn quite a lot if you stay on. That is, if I hire you,” he said.

He eyed the two. “I will put it bluntly, the pay sucks, the hours are long, but we will feed you what we can when we can. This work is subsidized … barely,” he said with a grimace.

“But there is only enough work for one,” his wife interjected quietly.

“Yes, quite,” the professor replied. “So, I'm giving each of you a week trial.”

“Together or separate?” the lass asked.

“Hmm …”

“If we split them up, it is fair to them. They won't have a chance to compete directly or sabotage each other,” the professor's wife interjected.

“My colleague is correct,” the professor said. “A week I find is too short and yet overlong for our limited budget,” He grimaced.

“If it pleases you, sir, I'll work the first day for half pay and food,” the girl said.

The professor noted his wife's sudden interest but nodded. “Very well.” He turned to the lad. “Come back in a week for your trial.”

“Yes, Professor. Ah, can I ask what we're to do?” Dapper asked.

“Ah. Well, I can show you.”

~~~=^=~~~

Multiverse Snippet 2

 Sitrep:

So, scheduling snag in the editing, but we're getting it back on track. My bad. :) 

  The story Pantheon has grown to the point I've turned it into a novella. (15,000 words so far) It may turn into a short novel in it's own right. I went from poking at it as a treatment to breaking it down and actually finishing sections.

  I already have a couple of finished chapters with it and it's 50+ pages. Not bad since I started it Sunday as a lark and I've been writing 3-5 pages a day initially.

  In other news, I am looking at using Inkarnate to make maps of PRI, Bootstrap, and other locations in my books. I am running it past the Betas now.

On to the snippet!

Still in The Collection:

~~~=^=~~~

At dawn he dragged himself into his bedroom and half fell, half threw himself on the bed. He knew he smelled of soot and smoke, he couldn't help it. He turned his head to the bathroom he shared with 7 other mates, it was in use. He grimaced.

The bucket chain to put the fires out had been a disaster. Oh, they'd gotten the fires under control, but only after proper dwarven built pumps had been set up off the pier to pump salt water onto the raging fires.

Some of the people had stayed to watch the smoldering ruins be put out but he'd gotten out as quickly as he could. He had class in a few hours.

His encrusted eyes closed and he fell into a doze.

~~~=^=~~~

When he woke it was midday and he cursed his thoughtlessness for sleeping through class. Professor Trem was not the forgiving type.

He got cleaned up, ate a stale bagel he'd saved and then went out. He had his books clutched to his chest. He went to the class and almost wilted in relief when he saw that classes had been canceled for the day. It meant he had another day to stay as a student. Another chance to finish his work and to find a new job and avoid the draft.

He checked the other classes to be sure, and then snagged a snack off a tray that was headed to the professor's lounge. That fended off his hunger pangs as he rushed back to his dorm.

“Rent's due at the end of the month,” the matron reminded him at the base of the stairs. He nodded and headed up at a brisk pace.

“And don't thunder up the stairs like an ogre!” the woman called up, clearly incensed about something or other. He shook his head.

He used the key to unlock the door and then put his stuff on his bed. He knew better than to leave it out for long. One of the other larger mates might try to steal it to pawn for coins that they too needed.

He checked the work list he'd scribbled down. There were 2 requests for tutors but in subjects he knew little about. He grimaced and set the idea of trying out for them aside.

History was not a popular subject in wartime. The same for language arts and art itself. Those who chose those majors seemed to be doomed to be drafted first. It wasn't fair, but it was their lot in life.

There was a note about a possible job in the city. He grimaced and checked the address carefully. When he was sure he had it down he went and got cleaned up and into his best outfit.

He hid his belongings and then took off to hopefully find work.

~~~=^=~~~

Multiverse Snippet 1

 Sitrep:

So, Carlos sent me the feedback this morning. I went through it and then shot the manuscript off to Rea for editing. We should see it back by the end of the week.

It is short, just 5 stories. (I guess I was in a mood?) Anyway, no Christmas stories. There are lead ins to possible future books though. Who knows what the future will bring?

I am trying something new with this book, I asked Goodlifeguide to help me embed pics and map(s?) into the manuscript. So, it should be something different. I've never tried it.

On to  the snippets!

 There is 1 Fantasy, 1 Scifi, 1 PRI story, and 2 Federation stories.  The PRI and Fed stories will have impacts in upcoming books.

Snippet 1 from the fantasy story:

The Collection

 

Note to the Reader: The following is my take on a Fantasy World War. It is grounded though, so unlike Paul Anderson I went demon, were, and magic free. What can I say? I've got to be me.

 

War had been something of a thing for ages as resources in some areas became scarce. All of the tribes of man were used to it. They had to constantly battle the environment, the beasts, and themselves to survive.

Each of the 3 major tribes of man had taken a different approach to survival. Man, the most prosperous had found that sheltering behind curtain walls of stone offered the best protection. Others in Man's tribe like the dwarves took a variation of that theme by building stone fortresses into their mines and cliff faces.

The tall and lean elves took a different approach. They were always quiet hunters and moved into the woods. They built their fortresses in the treetops.

The second tribe of man were based around the goblins. They were smaller than the dwarfs but lean and hairy. They had been broken into smaller groups that had interbred until there were tiny Gnomes, Leprechauns, and hateful Gremlins.

The third and last tribe of man were the giants. Ogres were the biggest of them, dull whited creatures that also lived in the mountains. They had the most branches to their family tree though, Orcs haunted the jungles, while Trolls were in the canyons, mountains, and highlands. White furred Yeti were in the mountains in the east, while big brown hairy things were in the forests of Mishiike Minisi.

All 3 tribes of man were said to hail from Afriuka. It was said that they had spread across the world by land bridges during the various ice ages that had come through the annals of time.

Of course, others insisted they had paid a high price to the Spinx in the desert to cross there and then head to the other continents.

Each of the sub tribes generally kept to itself. Only men tolerated the other species... so long as they were civil with men. Rarely did the third tribe interact peacefully with the others. They generally were brutal in protecting their home territories against any intruders.

The same could be said of the elves. They were always haughty and sometimes thought of as kind but cruel.

The goblins that had found a niche in with men eked out a living as tinkers, thieves, spies, and light workers. They tended to resent the larger tribes and were not above causing some havoc from time to time, especially if it was out of spite.

Dwarves were the master craftsman of the tribes of man. Their ability to work stone and metal were unparalleled. A dwarven smith or stonemason were central to any community. Some towns had fallen into disrepair or even been abandoned when the local dwarves had left.

During their time in the motherlands it must have been safe. But outside them, beasts were everywhere. Dapper stopped his quill and looked at what he'd written. His eyes strayed to the tombs nearby.

He was a student of history, though not for much longer. His money was nearly out, he couldn't find work and he was going to be drafted. He knew it, the warning letter had come in the night before. His eyes lit on the image of a beast, one of the three toes.

He'd wanted to study the history of the beasts but honestly, his talents were not with them. He grimaced as he checked the page.

He wished he could write the report with his typset, but he'd lost that job when he'd been caught 'wasting paper and ink'. Wasting! As if! Writing his reports and the treatment for his very own book was not a waste!

Master Pen hadn't seen it that way. The master printer had turfed him out without his backpay, the sod. The evil sod. He'd even thrown his work into the street where it had landed in a mud puddle.

His eyes went over to the papers by the window. They were crinkled and stained. He wasn't sure he could get much out of them. Not even a pence. They might be good for recycling, or for burning, but that was it, the ink had run.

Darn.

He heard the rising wail of the klaxon and winced. It sounded like a cockitrice, not brassy like the dragons, but high pitched and a long scream of warning. He went over and shut off the lights hastily, and then checked the curtains.

He peeked out the corner of one and noted the night watchman was pointing with his rod to people outside to move quickly. He made hustling motions just as the building shook. The night watchman's knees buckled.

Dapper twitched the curtain shut and then rushed to another window. He looked and saw the fireball rising in the night sky. A dragon circled it while loyal griffin riders rose to intercept it.

Dragons were the largest of the cryptids, the beasts that haunted the world. Man had managed to domesticate some of the beasts over the centuries. Not many, but some like certain breeds of dragon. That one had just dropped firebombs on the port docks and warehouses.

He heard yelling and winced again. Someone banged on the door and he went to it.

“They are looking for a bucket brigade. Get dressed,” the floor matron barked and then moved on.

He grimaced and put his oldest set of clothes on and then hid his meager belongings in the floorboard below his bed. He pushed the bed frame back over the hiding spot and then took off as feet pounded outside in the hallway.

~~~=^=~~~