Talesworn

Chapter 27 - A Familiar Cave

“What should we do?” Piper whispered as she stared down at the Crimson Guard, who were now setting up tents near the barn. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Is there another way around?”

“Not that a horse can navigate.” Alfred tugged on his beard. “We could use the trails to skirt around the hill, but it will b...

Chapter 26 - Between a Rock and Hard Place

Piper stood in front of the longhouse ruins, a few tendrils of smoke rising from the charred wooden beams. The structure had burned down to the ground, and little remained of what had been her home for over a year.

Glancing over at Alfred, she pressed her lips together with worry. The big man stood frozen a short distance away from the rui...

Chapter 25 - Calling the Banners

Justina rubbed a hand down her face as she listened to Ransford’s tale, a dull throbbing in her temples heralding an oncoming headache. When she had been selected to become a vampire many years ago, she thought she was leaving all the weaknesses of flesh behind. But even the lords and ladies of the night still got headaches. It didn’t help t...

Chapter 24 - Bad and Worse Options

The sound of clattering metal wrenched Piper from a deep slumber, and she surged to her feet, the blanket falling from her shoulders. Without thinking, she curled up her tail to attack, searching for a target. But all she saw was one of the healer’s sons picking up what looked like surgeon’s tools from the floor.

She took a deep breath...

Chapter 23 - The Price of Healing

Piper expected chaos inside of the healer’s hut when she entered—almost like her last day in the hospital—but instead she found the wizened old man standing in the corner talking nonchalantly to his three sons. None of them were paying attention to Ethel and her family.

Before Piper could ask what was going on, Beatrice stormed forwa...

Chapter 22 - The Long Road to Alderwick

Piper took nearly a minute to regain her feet, and even once standing, her legs were barely strong enough to hold her weight. She’d probably lost a lot of blood from Ransford biting her neck, and her low mana hadn’t allowed her to heal completely. But none of that mattered right now—she needed to check on the others.

Staggering over ...

Chapter 21 - The Demoness Stands Alone

Piper watched the events of the battle through a red haze, while a raspy voice in the back of her mind urged her to slaughter every mortal. She watched as one of the men turned and fled, dropping his cudgel as he ran. But she didn’t care about him. More than anything, she wanted to murder the armored man on the horse. She wanted to split open ...

Chapter 20 - Ashes of Home

Piper ran until her lungs ached and it felt like her legs were made of lead. But still, Alfred didn’t slow down. He ran like a man possessed, tearing through bushes and smashing branches in a mad dash to reach his home.

Ding! Your skill, Running has reached level 11.

Dismissing the notification as it appeared, she ...

Chapter 19 - Search for the Tomb

Piper raised her face toward the morning sun, its warm golden rays bathing her skin. Behind her, she could hear the steady drip of the icicles melting on the side of the longhouse, while birds flitted from tree to tree, filling the air with their joyful calls.

Spring had finally arrived.

After a long winter cooped up inside the longh...

Chapter 18 - Shrouded Truth

The wind howled past the longhouse, making the wooden beams creak, and snow drift down from the smoke hole in the roof. Inside, Piper huddled under a blanket and cursed the winter weather. Even with a roaring fire, it was still freezing indoors.

She stood up; the blanket wrapped tightly around herself, and walked over to Ethel. The blond-h...

Chapter 17 - Trial by Flame and Fang

The lion’s roar made Piper freeze, her eyes widening at the sheer size of the creature. The power emanating from the beast nearly made her knees buckle, and the air felt thick with menace. This was no normal lion. Something was terribly wrong here.

Alfred seemed to come to the same conclusion, and he cursed under his breath, “Infernus ...

Chapter 16 - On the Hunt

The door to the longhouse banged open, and the huge form of Alfred appeared in the entryway. He stomped inside, a blast of frigid air following him. As he shook the snow off his cloak, he pointed a finger at Piper. “Grab your bow and follow me.”

She put down the plate she was rinsing and glanced over at Ethel beside her. “Do you mind...

Chapter 15 - A New Face

The two moons had risen high into the night sky by the time Piper had the strength to make her way over to the kitchen table. A couple of rushlights lit the room—something rarely used due to the expense—and the main fire had been stoked. Around the table sat Alfred, Ethel, and Ophelia, with the terrifying bow, Gorebark, Longbow of Ruin, plac...

Chapter 14 - A Glimpse of Future Power

“I see now why you wish to pursue a path of magic,” Astaroth said from directly behind Piper, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

She spun around and scowled at him. “Would you put a bell around your neck or something?”

At her words, a slight smile flitted across his face. “Did I startle you?”

Piper’s scowl on...

Chapter 13 - Just Another Easy Starter Quest

As Piper’s demonic guide Astaroth started to float away, she held up her hand to stop him. There was no way she was fighting another demon. A single imp had nearly taken her out. If she had to fight another one to gain her class, she was almost certainly going to get killed. And she doubted the universe would give her a third chance at life if...

Chapter 12 - Menu of Damnation

The sounds of pursuit had faded long ago, but Piper continued limping along in the direction of the slumbering dragon with a castle perched on its back.

It felt like she’d been fleeing for at least half an hour. However, there was no way to tell in this world. The blazing suns never seemed to move, and everything had a dream-like quality...

Chapter 11 - Arrival

Piper hurtled through the darkness for what felt like an eternity before a glowing blue portal split open directly in her path. Raising her arms to protect her face, she shot through the opening and slammed into the hard-packed ground. The impact jarred her down to her bones and knocked the air from her lungs.

For a long second, she lay th...

Chapter 10 - Awakening

The gentle lowing of cows awakened Piper from a deep slumber, and when she opened her eyes, she saw sunlight pouring in through the smoke hole in the roof. A surge of excitement shot through her veins as she realized today was the day.

She was finally going to awaken.

Piper rolled over to see Alfred and Ethel lying together in a gent...

Chapter 9 - A Lesson in Blood

Piper tensed up, preparing to run, as her tail swished back and forth nervously under her dress. With the mounting tension in the air, she wasn’t even worried about her secret being discovered. All she cared about was not being sucked dry by a vampire.

Benedict, the mayor, raised his hands. “My lord, this violates all the laws in the B...

Chapter 8 - Crimson Shadows

Piper waved goodbye to Beatrice as Ethel’s sister climbed out of the wagon in front of her home. As soon as the woman was inside, Ethel snapped the reins and the wagon trundled deeper into the village. They passed merchants hawking their wares, groups of children jumping in puddles, and a few armed men on patrol.

They stopped the wagon a...

Chapter 7 - A Borrowed Face

Piper stood in the middle of the courtyard, her hands clenching nervously, while Ethel, Alfred, and Ophelia looked on. In front of her stood Beatrice, looking almost like a clone of her sister Ethel. The woman was a tiny bit taller but had the same angular face, blond hair, and arctic blue eyes.

“Are you ready?” Beatrice asked, raising...

Chapter 6 - What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Less Human

Piper didn’t know how long she was out, but as she began to regain consciousness, she was almost overwhelmed by searing jolts of pain. Agony worse than any she’d ever experienced in the hospital washed over her, and she screamed until her throat was raw.

Only then did she hear Ethel's soothing voice. The woman told her that everything ...

Chapter 5 - Oozes are Supposed to be Easy

Piper blinked her eyes several times, still trying to process what Ophelia had just said. While she’d never seen a real monster before—called aspect beasts in this world—Alfred had made it clear she should run for her life if she ever stumbled across one.

Most of them originated from tears in the veil between the realms. Sometimes, o...

Chapter 4 - A Very Bad Idea

The sensation of something sharp poking Piper in the ribs tore her from a peaceful slumber, and she was greeted by the sound of giggling. Groaning, she rolled over to see Ophelia with a stick in had standing beside her bed. When the girl tried to poke her a second time, Piper attempted to snatch it away, only to watch Ophelia dance back.

�...

Chapter 3 - Die Foul Demon

Piper told Ethel her tale about falling ill, spending time in the hospital, and finally dying. The woman nodded along politely, but she could tell from her expression that she didn’t understand everything. As Piper told her about waking up in the tomb, Alfred settled down at his wife’s side.

Piper was glad to see he no longer held the ...

Chapter 2 - Demons Lie

Piper wanted to lie in the sunlight forever—it had been so many months since she’d felt its warm caress on her skin—but she couldn’t ignore her thirst any longer. After a few more minutes, she heaved herself to her feet with a sigh and looked around.

A valley spread out beneath her, a verdant carpet of trees blanketing the steep sl...

Chapter 1 - The Second Breath

Piper had grown used to the rhythm of the hospital, with nurses showing up at regular intervals to give her medicine, and groups of doctors stopping by to murmur about her condition in concerned tones. Meanwhile, in the background was the ever-present sound of medical equipment with its whirs and beeps.

But when she woke up today, somethin...