Hey Satan,

Nice story! Such a great idea, the floating castle, I want one.

So, I don't remember saying that about detailed background, but it makes sense. I think you could do sci fi or fantasy easily as a short with little background, as long as it is identified as that kind, sci fi or fantasy, the reader could try filling in some of the blanks in the background. Filling in the blanks can be great fun, especially if the story leads your mind in strange directions. I wish I could think of an example.

I liked the flow of this, it moved nicely. It did seem more like a chapter than a short story, as we got a cliffhanger effect at the end. I liked the logic of defeating hoity-toity mages with simple brute force and clever trickery. What a dedicated hero, bound to set things right no matter what he has to do; swab a bedraggled cellmate back to life or whip the ass of a very bad princess. Now that's a sexy hero. There was so much left to happen and you left them in such an unresolved position...

Again, nice piece. I haven't been reading anything lately because I have been writing and I can't read and write at the same time. This was a nice surprize.

Beswitching