Alchemical Experimentation 4: Dinner Guest
That evening had been a whirlwind of pleasure that left them both sprawled out in Roland's bed, a tangle of limp limbs stuck together at odd angles. By the time dawn broke, Asteria's belly had flattened out again, just as she predicted, leaving her...
Alchemical Experimentation 3: Observations
Roland collected his bag and the clothing of the vagrant, the only things left of the man, and helped pull Asteria up from the ground. Just as she suspected would be the case, she could barely even stand on her own. To call her pace a waddle was still...
Blessing of the Lady
It was a humid, sunny spring day. Fresh rains made the mountain air stiflingly heavy on this side of them, where there was no cover from the sun that beat and relentlessly baked the stone face of the slope. From here, one resident of the mountain was...
Alchemical Experimentation 2: Solid Stress Test
Along the way, Roland was perfectly pleasant, too. He showed her landmarks and signs that the villagers left to help navigate in the woods, away from the roads and trails they'd made. He asked permission to make slight detours to show her the way to...
Alchemical Experimentation 1: Preliminary Tests
A cool wind blew through multicolored trees, their leaves just beginning to turn. The summer had grown late, and fall was trying to creep its way across the valley. It was a change welcomed, but not appreciated by one. She sat at the edge of her lair,...