If there was one thing Yuriko appreciated about the Palace of Lights was that it had a large and comfortable bathroom.
The tub was large enough that she didn’t have to fold her legs when she soaked. It was also made out of aromatic wood and coupled with the bath oils and salts, it made fo...
2021-10-04 14:02:58 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko lounged in the palace suite, sitting next to the window and gazing out into Lucenti City. The Palace of Light was in the exact centre of the city, or rather, the old city. A hundred years of expansion had changed the shape from a spoked wheel into a weird oblong.
At least, that was w...
2021-10-04 13:45:31 +0000 UTC View PostIt took the rest of the day to get to the city.
The terrain changed from relatively dry grassland and light woods to a river delta and eventually, a marshland. The road had turned from hard-packed dirt to cobblestones halfway to the city, and she saw several branching cobblestone roads that...
2021-10-04 13:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Hold! You slime-scaled cretins!”
Otlaca’s cry was too late, with the crossbow bolts already in the air.
Time seemed to slow down as she assessed the danger.
While crossbow bolts without the backing of sufficient Animus wouldn’t even penetrate her Anima, from the multi-c...
2021-10-04 13:15:01 +0000 UTC View Post“A Dire Beast Monarch?”
Otlaca almost choked on his wine. A little bit of it went down the wrong hole but his fine muscular control managed to bring it back up before his reflexes caused him to gag.
“A Stone Auroch King,” Rhox wearily replied.
They were in the conference...
2021-10-04 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post“Ugh!” Yuriko grunted.
Her Anima had taken the brunt of the impact but she couldn’t help but mentally assess herself. No pain in her back, a bit on the legs and arm. Her right fist throbbed with the backlash of her strike, but the pain was muted. Honestly, she had more concern with he...
2021-09-27 15:32:32 +0000 UTC View PostThree days.
It took that long before the endless surge of devilbeasts ebbed. Yuriko stood on the wall for the entire day, retiring only to her tent when Otlaca sent her a message that they should take turns on watch.
Feeling more than a bit tired, she had agreed. Over the course of th...
2021-09-27 15:09:13 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko fought her instinct to just run out of the stockade and head directly to the threat. It wasn’t easy but she only had to remind herself that there are hundreds of warriors here and she wasn’t even of the same nation. Still, she went out of the building and stared at the wall.
The ...
2021-09-27 14:36:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe white scaled snakekin practically dragged Yuriko across the enclave, all while nattering in a bubbly, hissy voice.
“Oh, your hair’s gorgeous! Other than the cats and bears, we don’t have hair at all. Ah, look I’ve got a nice speckled pattern, and Commander Otlaca’s diamond sca...
2021-09-27 14:00:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe foreign Elder’s question nearly froze Otlaca’s blood. He couldn’t help but pause while looking at her from behind the transparent nictitating membranes that covered his eyes.
Yuriko of the Davar was an odd woman, he decided.
They’d spent the past couple of hours talking ov...
2021-09-27 13:37:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe floor of the tent was covered with a luxurious rug. It had intricate maze-like patterns along the edges and the interior depicted a flowering tree. It was soft under Yuriko’s feet and she spent a moment enjoying the sensation against her bare toes. But that wasn’t to say that she ignored ...
2021-09-20 15:04:35 +0000 UTC View PostRhox of the Ahas Clan peered at the frightening woman walking just beside her. Though maybe she was mistaken. Rhox wasn’t that well versed in parsing human physique. For all she knew, Yuriko was an elder. For that matter, why was she barefoot? Every other human in her troop wore boots.
Al...
2021-09-20 14:09:11 +0000 UTC View Post“Hiek!” Masa gasped once she saw who their rescuers were. “No, no…”
Did she escape from them just to fall back into their hands? What was the point of that endless fall? What was the point of meeting that odd human girl?
Even as she watched them come closer, Yuriko looked as...
2021-09-20 13:48:45 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko ran down the tunnel, somewhat grateful that she hadn’t encountered any forks in the road so far. She wouldn't really know where to go to chase after the catkin.
A core of annoyance had started to grow in her mind. Masa was a far cry from her friends. They would never leave her mid-...
2021-09-20 13:27:00 +0000 UTC View Post“The Beast Tide is starting.”
Otlaca of the Ahas clan flicked his forked tongue and tasted the air. The ambient Chaos, perceptible as an actinic tinge in the air, had grown denser.
“Oh, you think, blessed patriarch?” Usaza’s sardonic voice tickled Otlaca’s ear holes.
“Who’s making noise now?” Masa grumbled while Yuriko chortled.
“Well, you can have those in exchange for the poncho.”
“Really?” Masa’s eyes lit up, “But, just one. It’s more than enough.”
“Toss that in the pot then. I’m hungry.” Yuriko tapped one of t...
2021-09-14 14:48:48 +0000 UTC View Post“So fluffy!”
Yuriko squealed as she stroked the cat woman, Masa’s, tail. The feel of the silky fur against her fingers and palm sent a thrill of glee into her mind and she couldn’t help but giggle mindlessly.
“Ahn!” Masa gave a squelched moan, and collapsed bonelessly on t...
2021-09-14 14:35:53 +0000 UTC View PostMasa’s fall ended as abruptly as it started. One moment, she was asleep, with the winds as her lullaby. The next, bumped into something and soon found herself tumbling in the air. Her back hit gravel and her eyes popped open, her heartbeat pounding up a storm.
“Where…?” she muttered...
2021-09-14 14:12:47 +0000 UTC View PostMasa groggily rubbed her eyes as she awoke.
How long has it been? A day? Two?
The wind whistled against her sensitive ears. Her tail stood on end, with her fur poofed. The darkness was all-encompassing and she was still falling.
She could reach her canteen and her rations. But n...
2021-09-13 16:02:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe wall slid shut behind Yuriko, making her jump in surprise.
She should have expected that, she thought to herself; the spire didn't seem to want people to turn back. Shaking her head at the blank wall, she spun on her heels and continued on the path.
The floor was cold stone, at le...
2021-09-13 13:49:41 +0000 UTC View PostHello!
Due to some unexpected work and connectivity issues, Jade releases will come in two batches, the latest by tomorrow, 14 September.
We will, however, do our best to get the releases caught up within today so we can remain on track with the posting. ^_^
- R
2021-09-13 10:13:56 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko kept at a brisk walk, devouring paces every second. The tunnel was too monotonous and at some point, she felt nauseated from feeling as though she was walking in circles. That wasn’t inaccurate in the sense that the tunnel spiralled upwards. After the first few turns, she’d lost ...
2021-09-10 14:44:09 +0000 UTC View PostCrossbow bolts, screams, and stones flew in the still air. Masa huddled behind Dai as the Iona clanner blocked the projectiles. The hissing screams made her flatten her ears over her hair even as she clutched the hilt of her longsword.
“What are you doing? Run!” Anda yelled at both of t...
2021-09-10 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostKiruna Maeda Nadir walked in complete darkness but to her eyes, it was as bright as day. She had a notebook and a pencil in hand--not hers--while she walked down the tunnels. Behind her was a source of light, a lantern powered with a jade cartridge, carried by her brother, Lukas.
The light ...
2021-09-09 13:04:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, Yuriko didn’t see the Skybeast at the top of the sinkhole, so after her morning ablutions and a hearty breakfast, she started climbing up the side. The walls were surprisingly sturdy, so maybe it wasn’t so much a sinkhole but a pit. An ant nest, apparently.
The numerou...
2021-09-08 13:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe leather satchel looked old but was still relatively clean. At least, it didn’t have any kind of mold or moss growing on it. Yuriko fell into deep thought when she saw the lettering. Many planes used Wojan as their secondary language, but she didn’t know of any that used it as their primar...
2021-09-07 13:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostIt's L's birthday today, 6th September, so we're releasing an extra 5 chapters this week starting tomorrow, Tuesday! We hope you enjoy the surprise release.
- L & R
2021-09-06 14:49:34 +0000 UTC View PostTwang!
Anda bent over and wound the winch to pull the crossbow’s string without bothering to check where his bolt went. The most important thing right now was to fill the air with bolts and prevent the Femorants from swarming them.
“Bad luck to stumble on a nest!” Dai g...
2021-09-06 14:44:12 +0000 UTC View PostNot ten minutes after Yuriko started the circulation pattern for Anima Refinement, the alarm stone sent a mental beep that startled her out of her meditation. The Animus strands naturally completed a circulation pattern before dissipating. Ten minutes was enough for most of the larger cracks to m...
2021-09-06 14:20:51 +0000 UTC View PostA hundred paces. Two hundred. Three. Four. Five hundred paces from the ground.
Yuriko struggled fiercely against the Skybeast’s grip. It was already a miracle that her backpack wasn’t torn to shreds. Her flared Anima didn’t do anything either since the edge of it didn’t cover the en...
2021-09-06 13:56:26 +0000 UTC View Post