“Fire!”
The thunder of the Plasma Carronades nearly deafened Heron, who stood right next to it.
“Fallen Sun!”
The cannoneer swore as smoke rose from the barrel even as the ball of superheated plasma flashed across the distance, erupting in a fountain of fire.
“Ai...
2021-07-26 13:17:09 +0000 UTC View Post“Hey! It’s the muscle girl!”
Yuriko blinked in confusion as she joined Stormwalker Century’s formation. The legionnaires near her turned to look, grinning and chortling. Yuriko felt herself redden as she looked at the man who blurted that out.
The legionnaire, a Decanus from t...
2021-07-26 13:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe blizzard hid everything from view. The flurries of snow and the powerful winds made sure that any creature caught outside would either turn into icicles or seek shelter. Yet, silhouettes crossed the ridges of the Frozen Tundra, unheeding of the cold or the wind.
Surt, Chief of the Iron ...
2021-07-19 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post“So, I hear you’ve been complaining about the Fort’s policies?” Commander Perry asked, her voice a low-pitched rumble.
Yuriko glanced at Gwendith who visibly gulped and took a step into the office.
“Yes, ma’am. We’re not satisfied with spending the entire three weeks of ...
2021-07-19 13:45:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe hustle and bustle of the camp as it readied itself for war was nothing to Thaer. As a warrior fresh from his Binding Ritual, he spent the next few days in ritual cleansing. There was a waterfall a few longstrides from the camp, and in the midst of the Season of Water, much less the frozen nor...
2021-07-19 13:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe Asheron Court. Like the Telurian, it was located near the plane of Rumiga, near the Tidelands, but not so close to be easily seen. For the Seeker of Delights, the differences between the two were as stark as night and day.
The Telurian Duke, One Who Watches and Waits, ruled the court wi...
2021-07-19 13:15:00 +0000 UTC View PostThaer Surtsson stomped down a path between the Bicorn hide tents. The snow tamped down with a satisfying crunch beneath his boots. After several weeks of walking, he was finally back to the Gathering Place, T’Pyun.
Tribesmen gawked at his coming, eyes widening at Thaer’s grey skin, hard...
2021-07-19 13:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostThose six days of travelling, holed up in the troop transport for the better part of the day, blurred in Yuriko’s memories. They stopped once every couple of hours, at a waystop to relieve themselves. Unlike when they took the Commuter Tram, the transport did not stop at any of the towns along ...
2021-07-12 14:19:19 +0000 UTC View Post“Haaah, I really hate early morning send offs!” Kato yawned.
Yuriko yawned in sympathy, though she had ample sleep time yesterday. “Thank…thanks for being here.”
“Like I’d let my little sis leave without a proper goodbye,” he scoffed.
Yuriko held a smile. It was ...
2021-07-12 13:53:26 +0000 UTC View Post“You don’t have to take that posting you know?” Master Alfein said to Yuriko when she came to the end of term Guidance.
Yuriko mentioned that she wanted to accept the volunteer mission to the north, at the border forts. The number of merits gained would be a basic one per day and she ...
2021-07-12 13:31:30 +0000 UTC View PostPerhaps it was because of the Daffodil Cotillion that happened just six days ago, but the 5th Day of Water, the celebration of the Empire’s Founding, was far less exciting for Yuriko. They had the day off from school, and they were ushered into the open-air theatre in the middle of the Central ...
2021-07-12 13:18:26 +0000 UTC View PostHer room was completely dark when Yuriko opened her eyes. It was still the Celestial refraction, of course, so nothing much would change until the next midnight. She didn’t know how long she had slept either. The events of the evening lasted well past midnight and staying up that long wasn’t ...
2021-07-12 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostBraden filled his nose with Yuriko’s scent. Her hair had a light floral smell, from her shampoo and soap, he thought. He had his arms around her waist and his head rested between her shoulder blades. A moment later, she leaned her head against the top of his.
It was both titillating and s...
2021-07-05 14:12:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe next couple of weeks passed like a blur, though it wasn’t without it’s highlights. On the 81st, Yuriko trudged up to the Wild Oak dormitory for boys to visit Kato. The wait at their lounge for permission felt a bit uncomfortable, what with near a dozen boys ogling her from behind. She cou...
2021-07-05 13:55:24 +0000 UTC View Post“You weren’t planning on using this old dress to the cotillion, were you?”
Krystal looked at Yuriko with reproach. She held a simple dark blue dress--well, it was more of a sundress, really. Something Yuriko brought with her from Faron’s Crossing.
“Er, yes?”
Krystal ...
2021-07-05 13:36:47 +0000 UTC View PostIn the weeks that followed their foray to the Blue Butterfly Inn, Yuriko’s weekly routine suddenly included a girls’ night out every Sixthday evening. They didn’t always go dancing. One night, Krystal dragged Yuriko over to shop for scarves, mittens, and earmuffs at the Upper City’s merch...
2021-07-05 13:16:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe training room they’d managed to access and power was just long enough to make Virgil’s target practice worthwhile.
The chamber was a hundred paces long and the far end threw up metal discs that he had to shoot down before they dropped to the ground. An easy task if he used his consi...
2021-07-05 13:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe Sanctum of Life and Death, the Watcher’s domain, with its fancy name and dual nature, wasn’t something a child like Ashley could enter easily. Were it not for the Seeker of Delight’s blessing and protection, she would have dissolved into little particles as soon as she stepped past the ...
2021-06-28 13:57:10 +0000 UTC View PostBella Terrianne Killane grunted as she dragged the swarmling’s body over to the floater disc. The contraption was about five paces wide and could carry a dozen bodies easily while maintaining altitude, but this one was already on the verge of being overloaded.
“Come on, Dec, wait for th...
2021-06-28 13:46:00 +0000 UTC View PostA Bicorn’s charge wasn’t an easy thing to avoid. Thaer Surtsson loosed his arrow when the beast came close enough for him to see the white’s of its eyes, then leapt to his right, rolling over his shoulder and consequently dropping his bow in the process. His spear was within reach though an...
2021-06-28 13:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe footsteps slowly faded away, while Yuriko and Millie edged towards the sidewalk. Millie’s eyes glowed orange with her Animus then she tilted her head towards where the footsteps came from. She bit her lips and squinted.
A cold breeze blew from the mountainside, the buildings funnelled...
2021-06-28 13:15:59 +0000 UTC View PostHeron Synka Muryh held to the final position of his two-handed spear stance. Weeks of constant training and it took several battles for him to realise that using a spear and shield combination meant he needed to have a shield mate and that it wasn’t very effective on its own.
Controlling ...
2021-06-28 13:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko sighted down the barrel of her training Plasma Caster. She was prone on top of a wall on a smallish lookout overlooking a trail that would eventually lead to the regiment’s fortress. The Radiant Sun was but an hour from the eastern mists.
From her position, she could survey about f...
2021-06-21 14:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe afternoon tea with Emyr Kinnock proceeded much as Yuriko expected. He brought her to the Whispering Treat, they ordered a tea set, practically the same one the Esras cousins ordered, and made small talk until they'd finished the course then Emyr popped the question.
“Will you come wit...
2021-06-21 13:46:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Haaah!”
Clunk!
The wooden blades of their training sword collided with a loud smack, sending a jolt down Yuriko’s hands. Under normal circumstances, her sword dance would have made her slide into a parry instead of a direct block, or avoided the blade altogether. Excep...
2021-06-21 13:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, Yuriko woke up in the other bedroom. It was dusty, and quite bare, but she couldn’t sleep in her own bed simply because it didn’t have any beddings after last night’s breakthrough. Krystal’s help had been quite welcome, though she wondered why her friend saw fit to knock...
2021-06-21 13:16:00 +0000 UTC View PostFri’Avgi flooded Yuriko’s Anima with distilled Chaos, countless motes that looked like a swarm of fireflies over her bonfire core. The green light melted into her Anima, the pristine white slowly stained with green. As each mote melted into the white, black cracks cratered out.
Her eyes...
2021-06-21 13:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostMarron penned a quick message on a messenger crane and sent it off before they headed out of Yuriko’s suite.
“Leave Fri’Avgi here. I doubt anyone would be able to take it easily,” Marron grunted.
“Alright,” Yuriko assented, but just to be safe, she brought it over to her b...
2021-06-14 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as Yuriko closed the door to her living room behind her, Marron, who had preceded her inside, flung his hand and caught her side in a brutal pinch and twist.
“Ah, ah, ow!” Yuriko shrieked as the bag dropped to the floor and she tried to hop out of her brother’s reach.
...
2021-06-14 13:46:00 +0000 UTC View PostFor the next several days, Yuriko’s schedule changed. Her morning training only included her morning jog: a truncated version of her strength-building regimen alternated with a similarly truncated agility and flexibility training. This was followed by a short sword dance, which incorporated all...
2021-06-14 13:31:00 +0000 UTC View Post