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Chapter 91 – Oops, Cleanup Time

Marie was glad that things were proceeding smoothly.

For the preceding weeks before arriving at the academy, she had been a bit of a nervous wreck, paranoid that someone would instantly snuff their group out as soon as they walked into the premises. What if a [Head Guard] had a [Detect Murder-Planners] skill? What if some long-forgotten acquaintance of hers suddenly popped up out of nowhe...

Chapter 90 – To Murder, or not to Murder?

Fayette had been discovered. And there was a knife hidden in her hand.

Just a butterknife—but was it sharp? That was the question. And… should she use it?

Not yet—not right here.

Forcing her head down, Fayette shuffled to the side. “You’re mistaken sir,” she mumbled under her breath, then began to step away. Her mind was racing. What to do? She wasn’t su...

Chapter 89 – First Day at School, Stay Casual

A/N PATCH NOTES: For maid to kill part 2, I decided to get rid of the skill ranks we had previously, where skills were upgraded with skill points. I am on a crusade against numbers, so they are going bye. Now, skills are improved through gradual training with them. I think this will make the story better.

I will eventually edit part 1 to not have them for the ebook release, so they will r...

Chapter 88 – Part 2 Prologue

St. Jean, city of dreams, pearl of the coast, heart of the empire.

Not the capital of the empire, mind you. The crown had never quite liked the site as much as the lords and ladies did, perhaps because the crown still remembered just who the eponymous Saint Jean had been.

The patron saint of the monarchy, who had raised a great fortress from the ocean, then fought back coun...

Maid Part 2 Coverart

Here is a little teaser for part 2: Maid to Murder

I'm still not quite set on the final form. Which one should I use? 

What thoughts do these give you?

Part 1 Author’s Retrospective

Finally, it is done. Part 1 is finished at about 260k words and with 5 months of writing and 3 months of hiatus. I’ve seen other authors like Temple write retrospectives like these, and I’ve always liked reading them, so I thought to do one of my own. Here, I’ll gather my thoughts on writing Maid to Kill so far, what I’ve learned, direction for the future, etc.

If this type of thi...

Part 1 Epilogue

Jacob sat in his tavern and watched his people with eyes that saw not faces, but fire.

Little fires and big ones, soldering embers and roaring infernos—all types were present at his tavern. And it was his job to stoke them—to make sure the fire kept growing and growing until it set the nation to flames.

That was the duty of a [Revolutionary Hearthkeeper].

Even if some flam...

Chapter 86 – Bonds

Fayette found Mireille at the hunter lodgings, in their shared room. The [Seamstress] was sat upon her bed in a nightgown, working on a winter scarf under the light of a lantern. Char was lounging beside her on the bed, knitting a web of her own.

Mireille looked up from her work when Fayette opened the door. “Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you had gone off to.”

“I…...

Chapter 85 – Judgement

“Let us pray and thank the [Saints] for this timely resolution to the crisis, and let us give thanks to [Grand Magus] Mondoug for his valorous conduct in ending this national threat!”

Fayette was watching [Archbishop] Villefore give his victory speech, but she wasn’t really listening. She heard the words, yes, but they all rang hollow enough to disperse to nothing once she processed...

Chapter 84 – Crushed

8 hours before.

Fayette stared in shock at the others. “What do you mean they stopped you? Are they idiots?”

“Apparently yes!” Olivia screamed. The [Doctor] was furious, she paced around her chair like a prowling lion, and her hands were clutching open and closed like vicious claws. But that wasn’t nearly as threatening as the rage on her face, like a roa...

Chapter 83 – Interlude: [Blooming Plague, Mother of Disease]

Catherine, the woman who had once been a [Botanist], didn’t sleep much anymore, but she did dream. Waking dreams as she walked the streets, fading remembrances of how things had been before.

She remembered how the markets had been full of bustle and activity, so she laid a rose amidst the ruins and walked on.

She remembered how the lines of drying laundry had hung over the streets...

Chapter 82 – Dead men do tell tales

Splat went the zombie, as Fayette’s broom smashed into its head. Splat it went again, when the damage was relayed further and the monster collapsed into blood. Splat went the blood as it sprayed onto the ground, missing the [Maid] with unnatural precision.

I can’t believe even something like this eventually starts to feel mundane, Fayette thought as she observed the circular ...

Chapter 81 – Suits and Scarves

It took Fayette half an hour to whip up the contents of her apron of holding into a passable meal. Passable not because she thought the quality was lacking, but rather because she hadn’t added any of her signature spice in, mindful of the children’s sensitive tongues as she was.

However, as Fayette strode back into the hall, carrying a big pot of steaming chicken stew, she was surpris...

Chapter 80 – The Orphanage

“So, boy, what’s your name?”

“Hailey, miss.”

“Right. Now, Hailey—just hold onto my hand for a bit and I’ll pull you up to the rooftop… like that. Feeling steady?”

The boy nodded. Fayette tightened her grip on his hand.

“Good. Now, make sure to keep quiet and watch your footing—we’ll help you over any bigger gaps.”

The boy gave a determin...

Chapter 78 – Delving in

Mireille did end up having to be the one doing the convincing.

It had been a simple process of elimination really. Olivia was stuck doing proper [Doctor] work for the day, it would be risky to have Marie act too [Lady]-like right now, and Fayette… Well. That one didn’t need much additional explanation.

The hunters had all been called up in the morning to the square, where the ma...

Chapter 77 – Appropriate blame

Fayette watched the hubbub in the medical hall a good distance away, wondering what was going on. Lots of people were rushing in and out, and a lot of noise was coming from inside, but she couldn’t really properly see without heading in. Is what Olivia did really that strange?

At least she had her [Eavesdrop], which had let her keep somewhat on track of what was happening. And ...

Chapter 76 – Interlude: Hypocritical Oath

[Placebo]. A skill she hated needing because it meant she had to rely on something other than her medical knowledge. Oh, it was useful of course, no doubt about that. Olivia had been putting every skill point she could into it. But… if only it was just the lack of skill.

Finally calming herself, she stood up, took support from a wall, walked a few steps forward, and then collap...

Chapter 75 – Interlude: The Strongest Medicine

The diseased were housed in a red brick warehouse, now repurposed into a barracks of sorts. The dim storage hall had seen a rapid transformation, turning into a makeshift hospital in a matter of hours. Plywood walls had been hastily erected by [Builders] to separate the patients, and crude beds had been assembled for them to rest in.

Only a few [Doctors] worked inside, wearing much heavie...

New Maid CoverArt

No chapter quite yet (working on it). But have this early peek at the new cover which I commissioned. It is my blood era cover. I am in love with it.

Big ups to @uanne_art for creating this banger!

Chapter 74.2 – The Brawl

In no time at all, it was time. The hunters boarded the boats waiting for them, then slowly but steadily crept toward the island.

It was only a small distance, but the boats in use weren’t that big either, fitting ten passengers each. The gondola-like wooden vessels were crewed by 4 [Rowers] each, who moved in sync, dragging enormous oars back and forth. Fayette found herself following ...

Chapter 74.1 – The plan

It was the dawn of the next day.

The sky had darkened from yesterday, threatening rain, but none had come down just yet. The storm was waiting. And Fayette hoped it would keep waiting, because zombie killing in the rain sounded like messy business. Or maybe it would be cleaner than the alternative?

Fayette watched the ocean waves crash against the pier and felt the wind on her foreh...

Chapter 73 – Interlude: The Plan

Sure, it was great that a [Maid] was receiving a revelation on new skills, but truth be told, that was a minor matter in the grand scale of things. A magical plague was a big issue, and naturally, important people would have to decide how it would be dealt with.

To be more precise, three important people.

One a master of the arcane, one a leader of the faith, and the last a magnate ...

Chapter 72 – Quarantine

The day after the duel, Fayette’s body ached all over. Still, they were moving along fast, quickly approaching their target. Olivia was moving as if she was possessed, stomping along the road with her eyes never leaving the horizon. Mireille walked more calmly beside her, and Marie and Fayette brought the rear.

As she walked, Fayette held her broom in front with both hands, staring at i...

Chapter 71 – Interlude: Recovery

Mireille stared at her shaking hands, willing them to calm. And they did, just for a moment, long enough for her to do one quick stitch, connecting another torn bit of Fayette’s muscle together.

Marie, who was holding the still-unconscious [Maid] in her lap, quivered a bit at the sight, but Olivia, standing next to Mireille, stayed calm. The [Doctor] let a drop of healing potion fall on...

Chapter 70 – The Duel

Before a duel, there was a plan.

There was only a half-hour remaining before the duel was scheduled to begin, in a clearing by the riverside. Fayette was gathered with her advisors, thinking up different options. And the conclusion they all came to was…

“It’s all about that skill slot,” Fayette concluded, nodding.

Mireille nodded along as she paced in front of the [Mai...

A FINISHED STORY, DMG=MA: A Rolling Stone LitRPG

Hey all, you might have noticed me publishing a new story on RR, a silly little rock litrpg. Its the reason the Maid chapters are a little delayed, but here it is for you now, finished. 

I'll try and get maid chapters out before the end of the month.

The rock story was supposed to be just a casual, funny side project for the magazine contest (because I want the prize), but then...

Chapter 69 – The Roadblock

It was a fine day for travel. The autumn sun lit orange leaves, making the cold wind seem warmer than it really was. There were few travelers this way, so there wasn’t much need to keep a watch forward, and everyone could just focus on the nice outdoors.

Fayette marched along the dirt road, broom laid against her shoulder, the bucket at its end swishing back and forth with every step. S...

Maid to Kill patch notes

No chapter quite yet, as I had to go back and make some edits. We are only like 14 or-so chapters away from volume 1 ending, so I skipped ahead a bit and drafted out the ending chapters already. Which means I now know what exactly the ending is like, and what the path there will be like.

Which also means I had to go back and make a few changes, just to make sure things fit properly. There...

Chapter 68 – Interlude: Hunter, Hunted

As one hunter party set forth on a journey to answer a muster call, they were not alone. Many others heard the plea too and set out to aid. Many more did not.

Ah, hunters.

Those slayers of monsters, heroes from stories, and saviors of the innocent. Who were they really?

Marguerite thought she had a bit of an idea. It came with dealing with the lot as her job, being one of the ...

Chapter 67 – Slime and Punishment

3 hooded figures sneaked off into the night, leaving a murder scene.

The night loomed dark, lit only by hazy moonlight, shrouded in the mist rising up from the bogs. The three figures were dragging bundles wrapped into cloths along with them, ever deeper into the murky mire.

After advancing for a half-hour, they finally reached the deeper parts of the bog, near where the other bodie...