That evening, Yuriko returned to the Shepherd’s Cross feeling wrung out. She went past the common room, ignoring the tantalising scent of sizzling beef steaks on the grill and the bubbling pot of gravy right next to it. True, her tummy started rumbling at the aroma but she ignored it and went s...
2021-03-29 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe next hundred paces down the path were hard-fought. At the first intersection, Ifra blasted a stone at them. Yuriko barely managed to deflect it with her side-blade before she got hit, and returned a shot from the Plasma Lancet. The other girl had already ducked out of sight by then.
Thankfully, when Yuriko tried the defensive second sword dance, the training blade didn’t gain a deadly edge. She didn’t even want to try the third dance, already sure of the result. Still, she would be hampered from performing well, considering none of them had any additional protective gear...
2021-03-29 13:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko returned to Room 213 half an hour early with butterflies in her stomach but the determination to do her best. There were a few nervous kids already in the room and, from the lingering scent, they had brought their lunches with them and ate there.
She waited quietly in her seat while ...
2021-03-29 13:16:00 +0000 UTC View PostVinze Hall was the east wing of a much bigger building just north of the Central Reserve. Kato led her through a cobblestone path in the park instead of taking them around the perimeter road. The path was barely wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side and it went around several nooks...
2021-03-29 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostWhile entering the Mid Rings were quite easy, Yuriko and the twins found out that the Upper Ring was an entirely different affair. For one thing, the City Above the Mountain had walls ten paces high that encircled the area about a league across. As the Circuit Tram trundled up the switchback road...
2021-03-22 14:08:23 +0000 UTC View PostThe first thing they did when they arrived at Rumiga City was to hop on another Tram, an intra-city Circuit Tram which moved Yuriko, Kato, and the twins out of the Southern Mid Ring to the Northern one.
“There aren’t any good hotels over here,” Kato said bluntly. “This is the indust...
2021-03-22 13:50:13 +0000 UTC View PostLukas held a piece of paper with barely legible scribblings up to his face. He was supposed to head to Quartz Avenue on the Southern Mids at midmorning but he was honestly lost. After weeks of procrastinating, he had finally decided to follow Mr. Kincaid’s advice and look to Mr. Mazer for emplo...
2021-03-22 13:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day, the Commuter Tram continued on its way from the miner’s camp. Centurion Lleufer, Decanus Cavin, and the two other Colossus Core pilots who didn’t introduce themselves, not where Yuriko could hear anyway, gave them a salute as they left.
Yuriko rubbed her gunky eyes while s...
2021-03-22 13:16:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Great! Another detour. How many are we going to have to go through and how long before we finally make it back home? Fallen Sun, Virgil!” Balliol ranted while he channelled his Animus into the co-pilot’s chair.
“Easy there,” Sarra said while leaning against the bulkhead.
Vi...
2021-03-22 13:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostKato pointed the muzzle of his Plasma Caster at a Grunder headed towards his little sister. She had opted to fight in melee with the side-blade attached to her rifle, instead of standing back and shooting like he did. He squeezed the trigger as soon as he picked his target and the bolt melted int...
2021-03-15 14:01:22 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m going,” Yuriko firmly declared to Kato.
Her elder brother stared down at her, nearly a head taller than she was after his latest growth spurt, but she didn’t let it intimidate her. Kato, unlike Marron and Rami, had an angular face, sharp, almond-shaped eyes and thin eyebr...
2021-03-15 13:45:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Master!” Kato yelped, turning to the red-haired woman seated a couple of rows behind them. Kale, Rorke, and few other passengers stood up, faces twisted in anger.
For a moment, Yuriko didn’t know what to do. The…things…were trampling the people of the camp with the Koinos trying ...
2021-03-15 13:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, an hour before dawn, Yuriko got up bleary-eyed from bed. Unexpectedly, Kato was already up with his gear in his backpack, face and hair wet from washing.
“Good morning, Yuri,” he said simply.
“Morning.” She yawned. “This is unusual.”
“What?”
2021-03-15 13:16:00 +0000 UTC
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The Travellers’ Inn had a nice and cosy common room, with twelve round tables that could comfortably seat five or so people apiece. The Innkeeper was a stout woman with her greying hair in a bun and her dress covered by a clean white apron.
“Welcome! Welcome! Come rest your weary selves...
2021-03-15 13:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko held Fri’Avgi fondly in her room. She ran her fingers down the hilt and around the cross-guard while rubbing her thumb on the red gem. A small light seemed to flare from deep within the gem and she wouldn’t have noticed it if she wasn’t staring.
A sense of melancholy rose up wi...
2021-03-08 15:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day, Yuriko began her day with her usual routine. She grabbed Krystal as she began her morning run, tacitly permitted by Sandra Farrow, Krystal’s mum, to drag her childhood friend out of bed.
“Hey, wha-what’s happening? Five more hours!” Krystal murmured sleepily while Yuri...
2021-03-08 13:45:59 +0000 UTC View PostOrrin put down his book, Essential Runescript for the Neophyte Scribe, when he heard Braden moan. His twin was seated in a meditative pose on his bed, going through Recovery. Beads of sweat poured down the other boy’s forehead and he nearly toppled over.
“Braden!” Orrin jumped off his...
2021-03-08 13:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Alive,” Marron said.
Yuriko’s heart lifted, joy suffusing her body that it spilt over her Anima and her skin started glowing faintly. Kato and Rami stared alternatingly at her and their eldest brother.
“You’d be damn useful underground,” Marron muttered in a deadpan voice...
2021-03-08 13:15:59 +0000 UTC View PostIf she weren’t so tired, Yuriko would have immediately bolted upright and woken up. In fact, she felt herself at the edge of consciousness, a hair-thin line between sleep and wakefulness.
“Get a…your…limi…me…settle...do…”
Even as a shadow, the frustration on his face w...
2021-03-08 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Hem hem.”
Alderman Ferell Rivos cleared his throat while looking out at the entire Assembly Hall. Yuriko straightened up in her seat, assuming the proper posture drilled into her by half a decade of primary schooling, her Mum, and Matron Rosie.
“Welcome, citizens of Faron’s C...
2021-03-01 14:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostYuriko followed her nose to a stall grilling cubes of meat. The chef drizzled tiny pink salt crystals on the meat making the aroma even more enticing and mouthwatering. There was a substantial line in front and she and her friends weren’t the only teenagers in the crowd: it was a tradition for ...
2021-03-01 13:45:01 +0000 UTC View PostHeron couldn’t keep the smile off his face while he stood in front of his bedroom mirror, trying to style his hair just so. His dark hair would have grown into unruly curls if he hadn’t had it styled short though really, it was more his father’s idea back when he was six years old in an eff...
2021-03-01 13:31:00 +0000 UTC View Post“What do you mean it costs twelve for a fresh loaf now?” Lukas yelped incredulously at the baker’s assistant.
The boy shrugged and said apologetically, “You must have heard: there’s a shortage of grain in the west. The cost of grain here shot up.”
“But there’s a lot of...
2021-03-01 13:15:59 +0000 UTC View PostFor the next couple of days, Yuriko maintained her strict training regimen. She woke up before dawn, ran a league around town, accompanied by her friends mostly, though it was Heron who had, lately, been consistently joining her.
Krystal had to be dragged out of her house, Mikel could barel...
2021-03-01 13:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostFOR OUR NEW READERS
Welcome! Here are the things that you need to know about the posts and post schedules:
Chronicles of the Exalted Sun Child
Chapters are posted every Monday...
2021-02-24 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post“Chaos Lord!”
Marron wasn’t the only one with sharp eyes in the group. A legionnaire, a woman with brown hair and red eyes, spotted the figure on the Behemoth before he could call the alarm. Decanus looked back, green eyes narrowed and started glowing orange. Niamh clutched at Marron...
2021-02-22 14:06:45 +0000 UTC View PostTrevor Elov Byrne watched with some amusement as the kids’ expressions changed in light of what he had just told them. As much as he sympathized with Cadet Davar, he wasn’t about to meddle in some clan’s business. Not directly anyway.
“Mind you, it's not the top percentile for the c...
2021-02-22 14:05:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe rest of Yuriko’s morning run was slow and relatively uneventful. The twins lagged behind along with Krystal and Mikel. Heron kept pace with her easily but mostly because she had slowed down to accommodate the others.
“I should run another lap after this,” Yuriko muttered.
He...
2021-02-22 14:04:47 +0000 UTC View Post“Ancestors!” Marron muttered as he glared down at the crystal screen. He felt his blood rushing up to his head and his sight tinged red at the edges. “Why is Mum doing this?”
A glance at his sister made him sigh. He recognized that stubborn light in her blue eyes and the way she ate...
2021-02-22 14:00:40 +0000 UTC View Post