Covered in sweat, Hui opened his eyes and gasped a breath. He sat up. All alone. The room sat as empty as it had before.
No, not quite. At the foot of the bed, a bowl sat on the ground. Two blue stripes, the familiar pattern of the Starbound Peak cafeteria’s earthware, w...
2021-10-17 14:10:55 +0000 UTC View Post“So late, little brother Hui?” Mei trilled playfully, backing out the door with a large plate in her hands. “Today, I managed to sneak some extra chicke—Little brother Hui!” Startled, she dropped the plate.
Hui lunged and caught the plate. He smiled up at her. “Elder sister Mei,...
2021-10-14 01:57:38 +0000 UTC View Post“What does Lao Gongren want from me?” Chang Bolin asked, following his henchman into the woods.
“I don’t know, but he said it was important,” the henchman replied stiffly.
“Are you alright? You look pale,” Chang Bolin replied.
The henchman mopped his face. “I’m...
2021-10-14 01:56:57 +0000 UTC View PostHe pushed open the door of the mess hall. A familiar face scowled at him. The younger child from the sheet, Chang Bolin, and the prodigy of their group of entrants. At the peak of Foundation Establishment despite being the youngest of their group, he was a favorite to progress to the inner sect, ...
2021-10-14 01:56:23 +0000 UTC View PostWith the first light of dawn, Hui jogged down from the peak, a bucket of water slung over each shoulder. After ten years of practice, the buckets hung perfectly balanced. Not a drop of water spilled as he ran. Strong and lean, he no longer had chubby, childish fingers or fat cheeks, but a slender...
2021-10-11 22:29:35 +0000 UTC View PostThe first rays of dawn shone through the crack in the door. Gentle golden light played over the wall, the barren bed, then the small form huddled beneath it, legs hugged to his chest, small head tipped against his knees, half-sagged down the wall.
Gold light struck Hui’s face. He shook hi...
2021-10-11 22:28:57 +0000 UTC View PostRiding in his new master’s arms, Hui gripped tight to the man’s robes. Unlike on the sheet, the wind whipped past, slamming into his little body. He huddled close, squeezing his eyes shut against the rush. Wu sped up again, whipping the air from Hui’s body and forcing Hui back against his a...
2021-10-11 22:28:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe sheet circled around and descended, not toward any of the peaks, but beneath them. Lower than the peaks, the main body of the mountain descended toward the valley. Barely visible in the distance even from this height, a river wound around the valley. Squinting down, Hui tried to make out his ...
2021-10-11 22:27:51 +0000 UTC View Post“Hurry, hurry! We can’t be late!” The woman from the hut grabbed his hand and led him into the square. He followed after her, stumbling along on too-short legs.
Hui grinned and smoothed his robes with his free hand. Cultivators! How wonderful! I don’t have to suffer in some medi...
2021-10-11 22:27:12 +0000 UTC View PostBam!
The blue sedan slammed into a tree. The cinderblocks sitting in the front seat flew through the front windshield and tumbled down a cliff, vanishing into the night. Engine still revved by the brick on the gas pedal, the car growled, fighting the tree.
He jogged over and ...
2021-10-11 22:26:36 +0000 UTC View PostI woke up with a jolt. Something soft covered my face, thick and stinky. A rotten stench clung to my nose and mouth. I breathed in, and hair fluttered into my mouth, the ends of the hair tickling at my throat. I coughed and shoved blindly. It rolled away, then, with a grunt, rolled right back tow...
2021-10-02 23:35:40 +0000 UTC View Post“I want a gun like hers!” Milton demanded, eyes wide.
Piper sat up and scoffed. Scoffing hits different coming from a five-foot-nothing ball of pink, and the sight of her doing it to Milton… I almost died, stifling my laughter.
Ace looked at me, concerned.
More correctly, ...
2021-10-02 23:33:51 +0000 UTC View PostWarm light spilled out of the Sunset’s saloon doors, wide open at this late hour to offer an embrace to all the scum of this world. I led the group of five—no, four—around to the back, down a narrow alley populated only by a few idiots too drunk to remember, trash, and rats. Wh...
2021-10-02 23:32:20 +0000 UTC View PostDucked low, I led the way through the forest, socked feet helping to quiet my steps. The last rays of the sun made the light fuzzy, a blurred gray. White flashed ahead. I raised a hand. Leaves rustled. A branch cracked. Momentary chaos faded to silence.
Twenty or so feet ahead, a pair of wh...
2021-10-02 23:30:39 +0000 UTC View Post“Take that! Looks like that’s the end, Ace! So much for being the strongest!” Milton crooned, puffing his chest.
Ace lashed out. Cards flew in the cave, fluttering all around. “Shut up! It’s just a stupid game.”
Vi squeaked, startled, then grabbed her mouth, eyes ...
2021-10-02 23:29:19 +0000 UTC View PostClutching her two children, the mother backed into the cave. The father stepped forward, a hand on his gun. “Stay back.”
“No, no, we’re here to hide, too. We’re not going to hurt anyone,” I said, putting my hands up.
The boy looked at me. “No?”
“No,” I replie...
2021-10-02 23:28:17 +0000 UTC View PostI stared at him for a second, then laughed. “Good one, kid.”
“I am! I have a dragon core! Or… part of one, anyways,” he insisted, frowning at me.
“There are no dragon cores left. They’ve all been used up long ago. If there were any left, they sure as hell wouldn’t be i...
2021-09-27 22:37:00 +0000 UTC View PostI’m not religious. Staring at Quetz’s still form, I had no idea what to do. It didn’t feel right to do nothing, but then, what should I do?
After another moment’s hesitation, I bowed. “Thank you.”
That done, I dusted off my hands and scanned down Quetz’s body. <...
2021-09-27 22:36:21 +0000 UTC View PostWe sprinted toward the forest. At our top speed, it took an hour to reach it, the trees perpetually just out of reach. Overhead, Quetz writhed and roared. Lightning cracked and wind howled, the storm stoked by his anger. At the hill, we slowed to a walk, the slope allowing nothing faster. Trees l...
2021-09-26 23:30:46 +0000 UTC View PostDust. Rocks. Pebbles. More dust. Boulders. Rocks. Hills. Dust.
Sun.
I lifted my bandana over my nose and squinted over the hills. “Fucking desert.”
Grim wrinkled his nose in silent solidarity, pulling the brim of his hat lower. A gust of wind tugged at both our hats...
2021-09-26 23:30:09 +0000 UTC View PostA roar deafened me. The grip tightened. My feet left the ground, and the air rushed out of my stomach. Stunned, I flailed, smashing blindly at my attacker.
“Kit!” Grim shouted, beautiful hazel eyes big and scared.
“He’s gone mad!” a stranger behind me shouted.
Short on...
2021-09-26 23:29:33 +0000 UTC View PostI kicked open the tavern’s door. “Gooooood afternoon!”
Back to me, the bartender didn’t look up from polishing the glass in her hand. Tanya remained untouched by the dust, as ever, dark skin flawless, stained rags dangling from her stainless black apron, a faint trace of dappled bro...
2021-09-26 23:28:59 +0000 UTC View PostA breeze pulled at the brim of my hat. It tugged at the tip of my rifle where it peeked over my shoulder, almost playful. The heavy metal band on my hat and the leather strap on the rifle held both in place, even as the breeze grew to a gust. The sun crisped my exposed arms, vicious at midday, un...
2021-09-26 23:28:50 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone! That concludes season one of TTMF. I'm going to put the series on hiatus for now to work on another book I'm super excited about! You'll start seeing episodes of that within the week, next week at the latest. For now, I'm going to take a short break and work on my next book, make su...
2021-09-18 16:59:32 +0000 UTC View PostIkara squeaked in panic. Across the alley, Kaidu tensed. His eyes narrowed and a pair of scissors appeared in his hand, but he didn’t move.
Rowan lifted his lip. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Jude shrugged. “I’m not one to walk away from a free meal.”
“We promis...
2021-09-17 20:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostRowan stared. Gills? He glanced up. The faintest flash of white appeared over the edge of the buildings, but only momentarily. Rowan grinned through the pain. Kaidu! He found Gills?
“Who in the hell are you?” Jeff asked, looking Gills up and down. He twitched a finger ...
2021-09-16 20:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe sound of combat came from a road to the right of the plaza. Rowan pushed ahead of Ikara and led the way, splashing through the ruined fountain’s puddle. Footsteps echoed from the buildings above as Katy ran alongside him, sound of her feet almost hidden in the ceaseless patter of rain. She ...
2021-09-15 20:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostRowan kicked a clone in the back. The clone staggered and fell, and he finished it with a quick rake-blow to the back of the head. He stared at the clone, waiting. A few long seconds passed. The body faded away.
Ugh, killing myself repeatedly is not good for my psyche. Rowan pushed...
2021-09-14 20:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostJude rushed over, Lancelot at his side. Rowan followed on their heels, too concerned to sit back, and Ikara chased him over.
Tipping her head this way and that, Jude leaned in, appraising her state. Nodding to himself, he started picking through his pack of vials.
“What happened?”...
2021-09-13 20:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Are they gone?”
Lancelot turned the corner, lance in one hand, a scowl on her face.
Ikara stared up at her. “They—they…”
“They got us, too. Come on. We’ve still got the Safe Haven open. You guys can borrow it, take a shower, dry off. You’ll all catch colds lik...
2021-09-12 20:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post