The Hugoverse

"Oh, don't mind those mage protestors. They're just pissed that our technology is advanced enough to emulate their spells." [ Link to post. ] “They’re just pissed that our technology is advanced enough to emulate their spells.” I nodded and followed my new boss, Robert, past the gathered crowd. A rainbow sea of robes stood in front of Maximum Dynamic, with white protest signs floating above their heads. Mage robes had gone out of style long ago, but the new technology sparked a resurgence. They needed something to identify themselves. The protesters booed and cast harmless ink spells at us as we walked through the security checkpoint, then into the courtyard. After we were far enough from the crowd Robert turned around and winked at me. “It would make their tiny minds explode if they new the truth!” He said with glee. I chuckled nervously. I thought I knew the truth, and the revelation almost caused my tiny mind to explode. We reached the entrance. I s...

Ballisea is trying to conquer as many Earths as she can. She's a natural born Sun(#46). Here are Ballisea's stories in chronological order. Zero Hero Necro Romancer Flutter Bye Abort, Retry, Fail? Magitech Trash Tourism Picking Sides

This is where I will start storing information about my Universe to help add some context to my short stories.  Magic: Magic is a natural force present on all Earths, though not all Earths have a population that can tap into it. Once a Soul learns how to tap into magic on one Earth they can tap into the magic from other Earths. Nanos:   Microscopic machines that excel at efficiency. As a result they work together and learn to optimize the tasks they're trained for. On some Earths they allow Zeroes to tap into magic, while on other Earths they evolved to mimic magic.  AlterNet:  A network that allows users from alternate universes to communicate with each other. It is an Earth that is completely dominated by nanos. Earths with the right technology can project their consciousness to that Earth, and the nanos will form an artificial body for their consciousness. This is primarily used for gaming, and has essentially become a giant cross universe M...

Flash Fiction Challenge! Location: A rooftop | Object: A tin can [ Link to post. ] “Holy hell, I can’t believe you fixed everything ,” Chuck said. He stood on the rooftop and stared out over the bustling city. The people should have been contrite, terrified to leave their homes. Instead the streets were full of people happily going about their business. Traffic flowed like molasses, he heard sirens and horns honking in the distance. “How?” Chuck turned to face the short, rotund, blonde man. Rudy smirked. “I could explain it, but you’re an asshole. So I’ll just say, it’s my job .” Rudy stepped toward Chuck. Chuck still faced out over the city and would not have noticed Rudy stepping forward, had he not accidentally kicked a tin can. The noise caused Chuck to whirl around. “Stay there.” Chuck raised his hand and showed Rudy the number ‘1’ glowing red on his hand. “You’re not taking me back to Hell, I’ve got a new job.” A pitch black portal opened next to Chuck. Rudy stopped ...

You are the hero the kingdom needs, just not the one it wants. You are The Necromancer. [ Link to post. ] “I’ll be back, wait here,” I said to my wife. Her bottom jaw clapped against her upper jaw while she nodded. She still had not learned to talk yet, but she was getting better. I kissed her smooth, ivory forehead and left the house. We lived on the outskirts of town, preferring our space. We’d had one neighbor about a year ago, but he angered the wrong person. Now his house sat empty, I doubt anyone knew he was dead. I walked into town for my monthly supply run and noticed more commotion than usual. I passed a kid putting flyers up, and grabbed one from him to read. It turns out the king sought a hero to defeat a new threat. A powerful sorcerer calling himself the Demon King threatened the land, and the last guy to save the world had not presented himself yet. The king grew desperate advertising for any adventurers to take on the powerful evil. I didn’t think much of it unt...

You’re a normal villager in a fantasy town and the main hero has just moved in next door after completing his quest. [ Link to post. ] “We’re going to take him this tray of pastries, welcome him to the town, and thank him for saving the world. We’re going to be *neighborly*.” My wife’s tone cautioned me against making any more disagreeable comments. Sure, the guy killed an evil sorcerer hell bent on conquering and/or destroying the world; he was never really clear on what his goal was. Yeah he saved the world, but he was just so smug about it. We walked next door and my wife knocked while I held the tray of bread. My wife’s introduction began the moment his blond hair appeared at the door. “Hi! We’re from next door. We wanted to come by and welcome you to the town.” At this point her elbow encouraged me to step forward to show off the tray sweets. “Thank you! Please come in.” He opened the door wider, then stood aside. My wife walked in and I followed behind her with the t...