A country girl travels to the big city and finds herself tied up in a plot involving wealthy families, criminals, vampires, and werewolves. Oh my!
This is the second book in the Small Medium trilogy by Andrew Seiple, a sequel to the Threadbare trilogy. It's informed by the previous trilogy and its characters play a role in the next.
Chase on her way to Arretzi
Once upon a time there was a halven.Against the customs of her kind and the pull of her own genetics, she desired adventure. And she got her wish.
- Name: Chase Berrymore
- Age: 15 Years
- Jobs:
Halven Level 9
Cook Level 4
Archer Level 5
Grifter Level 6
Oracle Level 8
Teacher Level 1 - Attributes:
Strength: 55
Intelligence: 53
Dexterity: 94
Charisma: 117
Perception: 62
Constitution: 32
Wisdom: 87
Agility: 57
Willpower: 43
Luck: 116 - Pools:
Hit Points: 87
Sanity: 140
Stamina: 151
Moxie: 160
Fortune: 178 - Defenses:
Armor: 0
Mental Fortitude: 30
Endurance: 0
Cool: 36
Fate: 32
These Tropes Are Hiding Werewolves
- Bad Guy Bar: When they get to Arretzi, Thomas leads the group to one of these so he can contact criminals and get into the city without scrutiny from the guards.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Note below - the werewolves get everything they want.
- Body Horror: In order to become a Loup Garou, you have to skin yourself alive and then put on a wolf skin. Tabita did that in the past when she couldn't feel pain. She does it again in the present when she can. She turns into a Cronenberg nightmare when she finishes. Then Mercutio joins her as a spreading mass of glitching flesh.
- Born Lucky: Chase has once again nearly doubled her luck by the time the book ends.
- Country Mouse: Chase is a little surprised by the big city (Cagna even calls her a country mouse), but she fits in quickly enough.
- Existential Horror: Tabita finally reveals the full truth of Generica to Chase, that it's all just a game that the Players are trapped in, that the NPCs like Chase are nothing more than figments. It takes Chase a while to get over that, because she's not just a dream, dammit.
- Irony: Chase levels up as a halven every time she runs away from a fight.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: Tabit is so desperate to escape Generica that she tries to glitch herself out of the game using her pre-patch skin. It doesn't work.
- Horror Hunger: During the full moon, werewolves are driven by bloodlust.
- Magnetic Hero: Bastien has to explain to Chase that her high charisma is part of what pulled the group together and when she's upset, they get upset, too.
- The Password Is Always "Swordfish": Or "Pesce Spada", in this case (fish sword).
- Punny Name: Thomas lampshades that of course Arretzi (our etsy) is going to be full of craftsmen.
- Shout-Out:
- The bar the gang stop in on the outskirts of Arretzi is described in the text as a room full of scum and villainy.
- Chase convinces Cagna that she needs to get the Wizaard on their payroll because, as good as Cagna is, she's still just one woman. They need someone who specializes in groups, fighting gangs, that kind of thing.
- Bastien has a skill called 'Signature Move: You Shall Not Pass!!, which prevents opponents from getting behind him. Later, Thomasi tells the group to "Fly, you fools!".
- Smarter Than They Look: The werewolves aren't just ravening monsters. They strategize and win, getting everything they want.
- Squishy Wizard: Chase has got pools for days, but not many hit points. Her strengths are her wits, not her ability to tank hits.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: The werewolves want two things. First and foremost, Tabita's skin so she can possibly escape Generica, second revenge. When they don't find the first in Don Sangue's tower, They kill almost everyone inside by using explosives to topple the structure.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Chase figures out that Pwner wants resurrection tokens and Thomasi has some, and she reminds him that it'll be just like the time they started working for Coltello... when Thomasi made forged coins...
- World of Pun: Generica keeps dishing it out. All roads lead to Gnome.
Chase on her way to Gnome
Once upon a time, a halven girl had to hunt werewolves. She made new friends, got in trouble, and had to get out of town in a hurry. For the second time in a row, actually.
- Name: Chase Berrymore
- Age: 15 Years
- Jobs:
Halven Level 11
Cook Level 4
Archer Level 7
Gambler Level 1
Grifter Level 12
Medium Level 7
Oracle Level 15
Painter Level 2
Teacher Level 5 - Attributes:
Strength: 65
Intelligence: 67
Dexterity: 128
Charisma: 205
Perception: 85
Constitution: 38
Wisdom: 117
Agility: 66
Willpower: 54
Luck: 213 - Pools:
Hit Points: 103
Sanity: 184
Stamina: 194
Moxie: 259
Fortune: 298 - Defenses:
Armor: 10
Mental Fortitude: 55
Endurance: 0
Cool: 65
Fate: 43
