A tense atmosphere hung in the air after Jia’s question. Anyone else might have been offended by the accusatory tone in her voice, but Dae simply chuckled.
“Why am I here? Well, more or less the same reason as you, I imagine. I’m looking for the gang boss who’s name you share—and ...
2021-12-31 22:11:50 +0000 UTC View PostFinding the gang’s base of operations had been pretty easy, all things considered. Jia’s memories served her well, despite how long it had been since she’d last prowled the streets of Yangye. Jia had never been privy to the places where the gang conducted their business, but that hadn’t s...
2021-12-29 22:08:35 +0000 UTC View PostIn the end, Lee Jung agreed to let Jia take Narae in as an apprentice, though Jia wasn’t a fan of the title. Apprentice felt too impersonal—Lee Narae was her sister, and Jia would prefer their relationship to be defined by that. Was there a better way to describe it? Sister disciple? Apprenti...
2021-12-27 20:54:09 +0000 UTC View Post“I still can’t believe you’re a mage now.”
Lee Jung repeated herself for at least the third time since they’d left her shack. Even after being healed, her body was so weak that she practically had to be carried, which Jia and Eui were more than happy to do, but it was Ja Yun who e...
2021-12-24 21:13:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there! Tsuu has finally gotten back to me with WIPs for the commissions from the last poll. She's been pretty busy lately, but I'm very happy with how these have turned out. You might noticed that Jianmo is not here despite winning the poll—that's because I'd paid in advance for the commiss...
2021-12-22 23:12:42 +0000 UTC View PostLee Jung was not as Jia remembered her, but neither could she be mistaken for anyone else. Her once-beautiful brown hair had grown thin and patchy, and her hazel eyes had gone dull and gray. Her long rabbit ears drooped miserably, and her skin was sallow, stretched thin across her bones. She look...
2021-12-22 20:54:54 +0000 UTC View PostLee Narae. Lee Jia told herself it didn’t mean anything—it was a common name—but her mind raced with possibilities. Yangye had felt familiar, even if she didn’t explicitly remember the people or locations. It had been about seven years since she’d left the orphanage—when she’d aband...
2021-12-20 21:40:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Elementals?”
Jia was surprised. Jianmo had never so much as mentioned elementals as a potential faction. Supposedly the number of deities in the divine realm powerful enough to break through the seal on the world could be counted on one hand, but Jianmo had neglected to mention who the...
2021-12-17 20:20:31 +0000 UTC View Post“You guys are so going to get me fired!”
Yoshika had just spent the last few hours filling Ja Yun in on her relationship with Jianmo, her vague quest to recover the artifact that Jianmo’s master hid away in a secret realm somewhere in their world, and her own nature as a gest...
2021-12-15 20:51:07 +0000 UTC View PostJia stared at Jianmo in confusion.
“Wait, back up—I feel like we’ve skipped a step somewhere? Sacred Arts? Isn’t that a xiantian thing? Only xiantian cultivators can control divine essence.”
Jianmo scoffed.
“Pfft, who told you that? Use your head, little kit...
2021-12-13 19:33:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe trip to Yangye was not nearly as eventful as their travels from Noguchi to Nayeong. The gaudy palanquin had been replaced by a simple carriage drawn by oxen instead of being carried around by people, and beasts of burden had been purchased to take over carrying the supplies. Jia didn’t even...
2021-12-10 20:48:39 +0000 UTC View PostJia and Eui were meditating with Heian when Tae In-Su came knocking on the door to their quarters in the not-so-temporary consulate. It was unusual for Tae to come visit them directly—usually, he just gave them an update whenever they checked in with him at the city hall. As Jia answered the do...
2021-12-08 19:55:57 +0000 UTC View PostThough she was a little bit leery about leaving her fate in the hands of the person who’d had her thrown out of that very city years ago, Jia had to admit that Tae In-Su seemed to be making good on his promises. Which was great, because Jia was learning that law was absolutely not one of her fi...
2021-12-06 19:03:06 +0000 UTC View PostA bloody field of corpses stretches before her in an endless tide of red, drowning out everything else. She strode across it, searching for survivors and recognizing the faces of the dead. Naturally she sees her victims—Sun’s fiance, the kindly traveller who had caught her robbing him, th...
2021-12-03 20:40:55 +0000 UTC View Post“Pfhahaha! Tae In-Su!? How the fuck did he think that was a good thing?”
Eui was doubled over in laughter after hearing Jia’s retelling of what had happened. As promised, the caravan—including Eui—had been allowed entry into the city without any further issues. The ‘con...
2021-12-01 20:56:55 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a little bit surreal, walking through the familiar shanty town outside of Nayeong’s walls. Well, technically Jia and her escort weren’t walking through it, since the slum-dwelling denizens knew better than to set up too close to the road. Jia recognized some of the more perman...
2021-11-29 20:06:04 +0000 UTC View PostA Yamato-style forced march really was quite impressive. Without time wasted on resting or carrying around that ridiculous palanquin, what would have been the last week of their journey took only a couple of days. The entrance to Nayeong City’s shield formation was marked by a familiar gatehous...
2021-11-26 20:14:15 +0000 UTC View PostIt wasn’t until after a full day of running that the group finally relaxed enough to return to a more normal pace and settle down a little bit. The retreat towards Goryeo had been surprisingly orderly—apparently owing to military discipline that had been instilled in most citizens of Yamato d...
2021-11-24 21:44:17 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika stood frozen in the overwhelming presence of the mysterious xiantian level cultivator. He did not wear the same uniform as the demon hunters, and the casually oppressive force of his domain bearing down on hers reminded her more of the strange three-eyed demon she had seen during the desc...
2021-11-22 21:29:49 +0000 UTC View PostJia tried to suppress her panic as one of Rika’s clones went to confront the enemy cultivators—her real body staying hidden within the palanquin.
“What do we do? Should we hide? What if they want to check the carriage—wait, Eui and I can disappear with Steps of the Stalker!”
Over the next few days, Jia and Eui spent their time reviewing what they knew about spellcraft and cross-referencing that with what Hattori could share of onmyouji techniques. As Yoshika, they redoubled their efforts to glean some understanding from the unimaginably complex formations that they h...
2021-11-17 19:49:28 +0000 UTC View PostThere was quite a bit of excitement after the demonstrations, and Lord Noguchi was intent on keeping the mood going, but when Hayakawa made an excuse to retire for the night Yoshika and Rika were quick to follow. Hayakawa’s quarters were elsewhere in the castle, but Jia and Eui were joined by R...
2021-11-15 17:51:55 +0000 UTC View PostAfter thoroughly trouncing Rika, Yoshika was just beginning to worry that she’d overdone it when Lord Noguchi broke the silence.
“Kami preserve me, you weren’t boasting, were you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a fine display of martial prowess—and I’ve had the privilege of...
2021-11-12 20:12:30 +0000 UTC View PostThe rest of the dinner passed relatively uneventfully as Hayakawa and Lord Noguchi discussed some vaguely political sounding things that Jia didn’t pay much attention to. With the exhibition agreed upon, Jia and Eui’s exoticism faded into the background—their hosts' curiosity deferred for l...
2021-11-10 21:33:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe guest quarters assigned to Jia and Eui were easily the nicest accommodations that either of them had ever experienced. The room was as large as the entire house that they’d lived in back at the academy, consisting of a sitting room with a low table surrounded by cushions separated from the ...
2021-11-08 20:02:42 +0000 UTC View Post
The commissions from the September poll are finally finished, and they turned out amazing! But wait, who's that? Yoshika wasn't on the poll, but after so many requests for her, I figured there was no need! No poll this month due to Tsuu's super long waiting list. I've still got plenty of new artw...
2021-11-07 02:39:41 +0000 UTC View PostAfter bidding farewell to Lady Tennin and the villagers of Urayama, Jia and Eui left with Hayakawa and Rika to return to the provincial capital of Noguchi. Before leaving, Jia gifted the Ito family a few gold coins—while they hadn’t really made use of Suzu’s hospitality, Jia still wanted to...
2021-11-05 18:38:19 +0000 UTC View Post“You were hunting beasts in the wilderness the entire time!?”
Rika shook the entire table as she smacked it for emphasis, nearly spilling tea everywhere. After some brief tension, the group had collectively agreed to deal with Jia slapping Hayakawa by quietly pretending it never happene...
2021-11-03 19:33:26 +0000 UTC View PostTakeda Rika was currently regretting her decisions. She hated Lord Noguchi’s stupid face and his simpering attitude. She hated getting dressed up in a kimono and wearing makeup. She hated the deference she had to show to ‘Lady’ Hayakawa in order to preserve the shogunate’s reputation. She...
2021-11-01 19:40:51 +0000 UTC View PostIt had been a few days since their arrival, but there wasn’t a whole lot to do in the village of Urayama. Despite its size, the village didn’t even have anything like an inn. Instead, Jia and Eui were offered lodging in the Ito home, which Suzu shared with her husband, two sons, and a daughte...
2021-10-29 19:23:52 +0000 UTC View Post