Art by Francine Apelo

In the days before humans and spirits roamed the two worlds, there was only one world, and it was twice as big and twice as bothersome.

– From an Atnaterra and Setoterra creation story

Root Hashells never thought a bar fight would look good on her resume, so it comes as a surprise when killing two spirits in a back alley turns into a job offer. The job: seek out the long-lost tomb of an eccentric old painter and return with her most treasured heirloom. There’s a catch, though; according to legend, the tomb is located somewhere in the spirit world.

The human world is problem enough, if you ask Root, but at least everything there makes sense. The days are bright and the nights are dark. In most cases, weather is just weather—not some monstrous thing throwing a tantrum. And if a mushroom is going to kill you, it bothers to do it the first time around.

But none of that is true in the spirit world. None of that is true in Atnaterra.

Fortunately, Root isn’t alone. Vit is a recently fired bartender and lifelong question enthusiast with knowledge of the spirit world. Azriah has a sword that hates him and a severe question allergy. And Beel is… well, unhelpful, mostly. The four of them will have to navigate Atnaterra with all its quirks and hostilities if they want to survive—and, more importantly, get paid.

This is Atnaterra.

All right, but what is Atnaterra?

Atnaterra is a satirical fantasy web story published serially right here on the site. It’s silly, it’s whimsical, and it’s meant to be taken seriously in the same way a boot is meant to be taken off in a pitch-black room with a carpet of rusty nails. New chapters are posted for free down below every Wednesday. Patrons (people who support me on Patreon) get to read two chapters ahead for only $2 a month.

For announcements when new chapters go live and news regarding the story, join the Discord server and follow me on Bluesky.

Happy reading!