Series
Symbiotic: Chapter 50
Chapter 50 The climb out of the volcano was long and, before her System improved stats, would have been grueling. Sara’s boots scraped against jagged stone, her breath coming in steady rhythm as she ascended the winding tunnels. The heat pressed against her back like a living thing, the glow of magma fading as she rose higher toward the crater rim. Each step carried her farther from the pulsing heartbeat of the Volcano’s Control Crystal, and from Fluffy’s always full hearted laughter echoing faintly through the bond.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)3 months ago in Fiction
Symbiotic: Chapter 48
Chapter 48 Sara settled herself at the bottom of the Magma lake, resting at the base of the Volcano Territory Control Shard, its crystalline pulse steady and reassuring behind her. She cradled the Greatworm Hatchling Egg in her lap, its shell glowing red from the outrageous ambient heat, veins of fire and stone energy threading across its surface. The hatchling’s spark pulsed erratically, stronger than ever, feeding greedily on the potent ambient energy saturating the magma chamber.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)3 months ago in Fiction
Why NASA Never Returned to the Moon: A Deep Investigation
Like most Americans in grade school at the end of the last century, I learned about our first steps on the moon. I spent most of my life believing that we went to the moon the one time, made a big deal of it, brought back some moon rocks, and went about our lives. Later, of course, I’d learn that we mainly did it to show the world that we were more competent and advanced than our Soviet rivals. Who would have thought that the US government would dump millions of dollars into a clout-chasing Space Race?
By Tales from a Madman3 months ago in Fiction
Symbiotic: Chapter 47
Chapter 47 The magma lake roiling like a living sea of fire. The air shimmered with heat, waves of molten stone rising and falling in slow, heavy rhythm at the edges. She knew instinctively of course the strongest energy would be at the bottom, where fire and stone converged and condensed in their purest form.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)3 months ago in Fiction
Day 6: The Occurrence Eve. Content Warning.
…And Wolfman Patrick’s journal, extra scratchy bold like a kid scribbling on his desk. I think last night’s haul was a little light. Ron read my journal and was becoming sick of my apathetic fight against his journalistic integrity. No details too small, and if there’s some kind of prize money for this find, he’ll split it with me down the middle. I won’t talk—yet. It’s not the stringing him along, but in the case of an F.B.I. raid before the sacrifices start, that I may, with escape time, be a waste of a charge. Protection is cheap when everyone is desperate. Something I discovered holy while shitting off the boat's side.
By Willem Indigo3 months ago in Fiction
Symbiotic: Chapter 46
Chapter 46 The volcano’s heart chamber pulsed with molten light, shadows dancing across jagged walls as the magma lake churned lazily. Sara sat down, cross legged upon the scorched stone. She pulled the Greatworm Egg from her Pocket Storage and cradled it before her in a cocoon of Soul and spore energy. Its crystalline shell shimmered faintly as the Hatchling within continued to feed on the powerful ambient Fire and Stone energies.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)3 months ago in Fiction
Symbiotic: Chapter 45
Chapter 45 Sara’s Danger Sense thrummed like a war drum in her chest, pulsing louder with every step closer to the magma lake. Her newly Fire energy empowered Sporesight stretched outward to two hundred feet, its edges shimmering against the molten surface. She locked 1,000 microbes into the Sporesight, another 1,000 into her 20 foot Infectious Cloud, leaving 3,500 still free in her network. The numbers ticked in her mind like a ledger. Resources use required versus resources needed to survive. A constant tug of war, and not one that the environment favored her for.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)3 months ago in Fiction
Symbiotic: Chapter 44
Chapter 44 Sara stood outside her Residence, the Greatworm Egg cradled against her side, spores drifting in a faint shimmer around it. Tas’s advice echoed in her mind: find a place of strong ambient energy for the bond to take root.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)3 months ago in Fiction
PART II — THE SKY THAT REMEMBERS
The instant Kael and Elara stepped through the star-lit arch, the ground vanished beneath their feet. Wind roared around them. Colors bled like liquid starlight, swirling in impossible shapes—spirals of violet flame, rivers of gold flowing upward, fragments of constellations drifting like snow.
By Alisher Jumayev3 months ago in Fiction
