Zane has worked for four months as an android operator at Castor Analytics.
A company specializing in storing androids and doing maintenance on them.
Of all the androids Zane had transferred into, Candi has a special place in his heart.
It had been the android he went through his trial by fire with.
And by now, Zane thinks he knows everything there is to know about Candi.
But Candi has a few more tricks up her sleeve.

Slowly, Tiberius is getting the hang of things.
One year ago he joined the adventurers Conway, Debtar, and Sinea as a freshly baked mage.
His new friends had been generous with their advice and friendship.
But when the topic of Shroom Dungeon is brought up, they are unusually mum about any details.
They agree on one thing quickly. It was time for Tiberius to delve into Shroom Dungeon.
A dungeon yet undefeated. A place to lose yourself.

Part 1 can be found HERE.

Friday, Early Afternoon, the FrankenCorps secret base

Iron Rain looked up from his tablet as his co-worker came in looking pissed. “Hey Scorpio, I heard your target got away from you. That sucks, man.”

Discharged - Female
A Short Story based on Fact
By Maryanne Peters

“Sheena, come in please,” High Lady Jenwise motioned to Sheena who had already entered the office. She stood there, her expression grim and her face pale as she once again stood before the picture windows that framed the city of Auglire in their own regal fashion. Her footsteps made the smallest of padding sounds as she passed the rows of bookshelves to either side of her and stood before the High Lady’s desk. Jenwise observed her from the other side, seated in her high-backed green chair, hands folded before her on the mahogany surface.

I lay in bed thinking about my life and the life I want now here in the modern age. I don't want to go back into hiding again. There is just so much that I need to know about the world and how I can live in it as I am. Neither Kyle nor I have any experience in living as a teenage girl. Now that Kyle can exert his own will on me is something we will have to work out.

CHAPTER 46
University life was so very different from school. It looked, on the surface, as if we had much less work to do, lessons being fewer, free time seeming to be endless, but it wasn’t at all that way. There was so much background reading to do, for starters, and then we weren’t being handed the answers for later parroting. Our lecturers actually expected us to go out and bloody RESEARCH things, the sods.

Putting the old priestess and her words out of his mind, Keir turned his attention to the children and teenagers who were coming to a stop before him. They were looking at him with wide eyes, some bowed their heads when they saw him looking. The oldest boy hobbled up on a crutch, then fell to his knees, his lame leg stretched awkwardly behind him, and looked at the ground.

Joshua is utterly broke and desperate to boot.
That's when his neighbor Twilla offers him a little job on the side.
But not before revealing that she is a witch and the job in question is everything but ordinary.
Despite the drawbacks, Joshua can't help but partner up with Twilla.
However, her offer might be too good to be true.

I was expecting to land on something soft. Maybe an awning, a pile of refuse, a puddle of water, anything,. That was how it worked, right? In stories, the hero would face certain death and then find themselves saved just in the nick of time by mysterious circumstance. I was no hero. Instead my body hit solid ground. Rough round cobblestones greeted my body; the shock came first, then the pain, then the garbled, muted scream that barely escaped my lips through a crushed windpipe. Rib cage shattered, left arm twisted and malformed, knee caps cracked.

Charia is the head councilwoman of the Central Witch Council. An organization that keeps mundanes unaware that magic exists.
Today is the review day. She and other council members are apprised of recent misuses of magic by agents working for the council.
However, this meeting derails as more and more cases appear to be connected.

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

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“That was nice if a little unexpected,” said Sylvie as our kiss ended.

"That was to keep you safe, ok!"

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.
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Friday June 8th, 8:46 p.m., Avondale, Arizona
"Wait, you are working with my government?"

She nodded, "My father is the accountant for Louis de la Vega Corbino or as is he is better known Lupe. That name means something about a wolf and a river,” she said as if it was a ridiculous nickname.

The Recall
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I was close to him in age, which is why they called on me, I guess. I was still assigned as “Active for Operations”, but I had not done a whole lot. That work is for younger men.

It was just that he had worked in the Ukraine, and now that was the place everybody wanted to understand. A lot of intelligence is about experience, and old connections. It is the kind of stuff that people retire with.

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

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Friday, June 8th, 4:51 p.m., Phoenix, Arizona
Getting back to the office turned out to be a quicker trip than I thought it would be, though I had to use Lyft first to get my car from the police station. This late in the day, the office was almost empty, and my attempt to find Valerie and recruit her in my quest to deal with Gabriella fell way short. She'd gone home for the day due to a sick child. Damn it!

The soul of a thousand year old spider has just been unleashed onto the world, looking for a suitable human to bond with.

tw // Death, Violence, Attempted Suicide, Body Horror, Gore, Torture, Disturbing Scenes

This is probably not going to be an easy story to read. I can guarantee that. It was largely inspired by “The Fly”, particular the 1986 version of the film directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jeff Goldblum. There will be deaths, and some disturbing scenes, which could pop up in any chapter. Keep this warning in mind while reading.

Also my new goal is at least one chapter per week for all of these stories. This year I want to become more serious about writing.

It had been a busy day for Austin. His day at work had been long and hard, tiring him out like nothing had in a long time. Fortunately, he'd made it through, and he was now back at his apartment. Plus, he had the day off tomorrow, so that was an opportunity to recover till the next work day.

While Austin was making himself a dinner of Ramen noodles, his friend and roommate Ken came home. "Hey Austin," said Ken. "Long day at work?"

"Don't get me started," Austin groaned.

Ken read Austin's pained expression and nodded. "I'll take that as a yes," he said.