Sonya was relieved that Astaroth decided not to make a second appearance in her circles of conversation for the rest of the night. He was still ever present, still a constant awareness at the back of her mind, but she managed to at least push him to the periphery. She couldn’t kill him here as much as she wanted to. She had her priorities and it was good enough knowing where he currently stoo...
2024-07-16 14:27:12 +0000 UTC View PostSonya made a face, pursing her lips and squinting at the masked guard sitting across from her in the secure vehicle. The guard shifted a bit under her stare as she crossed her arms. He shifted again and the guard next to him looked away. The momentary look of betrayal in the first guard’s shoulders was very telling. He cleared his throat as Sonya crossed her legs and gave him a frown. Next to...
2024-07-15 15:42:43 +0000 UTC View PostHe sat atop the building watching them mill about down below. He liked it up here, the angle was good, and it let him watch the things as they scurried about. He shifted a bit, resting his arm on his knee and frowning a little. This whole thing wasn’t going how he’d expected, but the walkthrough was perfect. It had to be. He designed it after all. That idiot Pandora had given him a blank ch...
2024-07-15 15:42:33 +0000 UTC View PostSo just a few updates! I'm working on improving my release schedule to get you guys content more consistently and so I don't worry y'all. I'm also going to be making some improvements to the patreon as a whole. All good stuff :3 Just want to keep giving back to y'all! We're starting with a schedule update. Releases will be week long instead of the usual. Monday Tuesday, Thursday Friday Chapters...
2024-07-15 15:41:38 +0000 UTC View PostLillian hit the ground, hard, and rolled onto her side. She let out a cough and reached up to wipe her lip. Every single time she got past that ten second mark it was like the difficulty spiked like crazy. She pressed her hands against the floor and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She was grateful for the slight give that it had. Every time she hit the ground it absorbed just enough of...
2024-07-15 03:32:31 +0000 UTC View Post
This Side story is NSFW and contains content not suitable for all audiences. Please note, you do not need to read this side story to enjoy the main story but there may be some relevant content.
Reader discretion advised.
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Sonya surfaced from the water and threw her head back, water streaming down her body. Her hair fell across her bac...
2024-07-14 05:53:44 +0000 UTC View PostDoing this crazy early, got a long day ahead of me.
A month after Vegas, ASTA releases its first magazine featuring Black Lotus on the cover.
2024-07-11 17:23:13 +0000 UTC View Post=============Trigger Warning: Domestic Assault=============
It was only a few days after Vegas. Firestorm’s private funeral had been the day before, the public ceremony sending him and the other heroes who fought in Vegas off had been that morning. Chunhua remembered only bits of it, her mind was still elsewhere, still on those little moments during the fight. She’d...
2024-07-10 21:11:34 +0000 UTC View PostSonya watched as the days passed. She kept an eye on them, her beloved heroes. She watched them laugh, she watched them fight, she watched them struggle, she watched them succeed, and she watched them fail. Her many eyes throughout the camp observed everything at every moment, it was a strain, but it was worth it. There were moments where she smiled, moments where she wept, and moments where sh...
2024-07-10 19:13:06 +0000 UTC View PostHey guys, I hope you've enjoyed this little spree I've been on. It's been so much fun! I know y'all are a little worried about me because I've been going at it pretty hard. The inspiration just hit after my vacation and I had to get it going. That said, I am taking care of myself and I am resting. I will be taking a short breather before going back to a more normalized schedule with the release...
2024-07-10 19:11:55 +0000 UTC View PostLillian sat awkwardly in the middle of the spartan-looking bedroom as Black Lotus sat in front of her. The world’s number one hero was leaning forward, her brows knotted and rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she looked Lillian over. They had tried putting out the flames on her shoulders to pretty much zero luck. Upside was that it didn’t seem to hurt anyone when they touched it, though no on...
2024-07-10 05:30:48 +0000 UTC View PostAmos shifted a bit on his feet. The shoes were unbelievably uncomfortable. Sonya kept insisting that they were the most comfortable dress shoes of their brand but it still felt like his feet were in a vice. That wasn’t even to begin to talk about the rest of it. He could hear the distant sound of Sonya talking, giving her speech, he groaned. Sure, this was exciting, but for heaven’s sake di...
2024-07-10 02:47:47 +0000 UTC View PostSonya and the others stepped out of the portal and into her office. She reached up and brushed her hair out of her face as she deactivated her armor. Ironsides’ power is convenient, she thought with a small smile. That smile faltered when her senses picked up on someone standing in the room. She turned her head towards the door with a frown, and saw her standing there. Her lips turne...
2024-07-09 22:55:50 +0000 UTC View PostSonya closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hands shook, her fingers trembled, she chewed her lip and reached up to grasp at her chest. She closed her eyes and slid down a little in the empty hallway. Not a soul around, no eyes on her, privacy, for just a moment. She let herself feel. Why couldn’t you have gone to the Asian camp? W...
2024-07-09 19:21:35 +0000 UTC View PostThe Scouting course was definitely more subdued than the two more physical courses in the morning, but it promised strenuous activity in the future. Miss Chernovna spent the majority of the class explaining and emphasizing the role of the Dungeon Scout. It was a little surprising how seriously she took it, to the point that her whole demeanor changed. She stood in front of the class with a whit...
2024-07-09 07:26:12 +0000 UTC View PostLillian was on the ground, breathing hard. She felt a tingling coolness wash over her muscles as they knit themselves back together at a rapid pace. Even then, even as she felt the ache fade and the weariness disperse, she was exhausted. She stared up at the ceiling and closed her eyes for a moment before sucking it up and pulling her knees to her chest. With a grunt, she threw herself forward ...
2024-07-09 04:35:08 +0000 UTC View PostLillian sat down hard on the couch with a sigh, a couple of breakfast wraps on her plate and a cup of coffee balanced between them. Her eyes sparkled as she looked them over. The food was still good even after that first night. She grinned to herself and took a bite as the others made their way over. Snow sat down on the arm of the couch to her left. While Lillian was in her tank top and sweatp...
2024-07-08 23:24:56 +0000 UTC View PostPhew! Made it!
Lillian stood in front of the door, her hand on the handle. On the other side was a room with someone who could literally decide how far she goes in the future as a hero. She took a deep breath and pushed down, pushing the door open and stepping inside. It was a simple conference room, one long table with several chairs. There were actually three people inside, more than she’d expected. She h...
2024-07-08 03:48:55 +0000 UTC View PostSomething about this girl is setting me off, Sonya thought as she looked up at the tall girl standing over her. The stunned look on her face was refreshing, and she couldn’t help but smile cheekily up at her. A little bit of smugness, a little bit of mischief, a twinkle in her eyes, and the girl was smiling back at her without even realizing it. What is it? My gut is just…...
2024-07-08 00:14:47 +0000 UTC View PostOn a rational, logical level, Lillian knew that the laughter wasn’t that loud. There were only a few chuckling at the crack from the stranger near the front of the bus. And yet, to her, it was all deafening. She tried again to feel for the instincts of the ability, try to see if there was more to it, there was more information she could work with. There was nothing, she understood on a simpli...
2024-07-07 19:06:47 +0000 UTC View PostIt was the single longest few minutes of her life, sitting there, waiting for the bus to start moving. She did her best to sit still, she really did. She kept her hands pressed between her knees and fixed her feet to the ground as the psec guy and the woman with the clipboard made their way up onto the bus. She glanced into the aisle and saw others talking and looking around, some were just rel...
2024-07-07 02:52:59 +0000 UTC View Post“Two-twenty-four.”
She pulled herself up, muscles heating, sweat beading on her neck, brown eyes focused on the far wall. The alarm clock next to her bed ticked over and buzzed once before the radio clicked on. She pulled her chin up and over the bar as a short jingle played. Then a voice cut into the near-silence of her bedroom. “Good morning, Atlanta!” A jolly voice said, “It...
2024-07-03 22:32:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe observation tower had only been built a week prior. It was one of many set up as the Carter Radar system had spread across the United States. Dungeons were now a household name, and people were starting to really let this new reality sink in. There still weren’t enough heroes to cover everything, but progress was being made, and the first series of so-called ‘cullings’ had taken place...
2024-07-03 15:03:00 +0000 UTC View PostSonya took a little time to flirt with one of the guards as they made their way into the prison. The brunette was about as receptive as any hardened law enforcement professional was, and given what she’d been through with Martin, Sonya decided that maybe they were a group she could do without interacting with too much. Still, she was able to get in to speak with the kid who was already being ...
2024-07-03 15:02:00 +0000 UTC View PostAmos shifted a bit on his feet. The shoes were unbelievably uncomfortable. Sonya kept insisting that they were the most comfortable dress shoes of their brand, but it still felt like his feet were in a vice. That wasn’t even to begin to talk about the rest of it. He could hear the distant sound of Sonya talking, giving her speech. He groaned. Sure, this is exciting, but for heaven’s sak...
2024-07-03 15:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post“...to say a few words, Sonya Chernovna.”
She’d prepared words. She could see them written down on the paper in front of her. She could even understand what she wanted to say. They were all truths, honest words from the bottom of her heart. She knew the words, but for a moment they just wouldn’t come. All she could do was look down at the polished silver card resting beneath the f...
2024-07-03 15:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post