Before I take a single step, a green blur flashes past me. In less than a blink, Kierra has Talia in her arms, holding her tightly but gently. Watching Kierra gently stroke her hair and Talia melt against her, all the horrible feelings that have been weighing on my shoulders disappear. When Alana steps over and grabs my hand, I feel good for the first time since our flower was taken.
Itâ€...
2024-06-09 12:32:50 +0000 UTC View PostMy rampage ends with the setting sun.
As promised, the once magnificent city has been pulverized. Most of the damage is concentrated along my direct path, a trail of rubble that starts at the Teppin estate and stops before the western gate of the city. The rest of the destruction was caused by my large limbs. Not as severe as my rolling over buildings but enough to leave large swaths on e...
2024-06-09 12:32:46 +0000 UTC View PostHer opponent drew a dagger, a strange weapon with a curved blade of a black metal that seemed to swallow the light that touched it. A dark stone was embedded at the end of its hilt, one that Kierra recognized as a null affinity stone. Something that should be beyond rare and far too precious to be in the hands of a hunter, no matter his affinity or skill.
“You should have taken...
2024-06-09 12:32:42 +0000 UTC View PostTo be special was a lonely thing.
As a young girl, Kierra didn’t realize how different she was. She ran, jumped, and hunted small critters with careless joy. Being a little faster and a little stronger than the other children didn’t enter her mind. The adults hardly cared at that age either.
But as she grew older, the gap between her abilities and those of her peers widened. Her...
2024-06-09 12:32:39 +0000 UTC View PostLucas didn’t know how things had gone so bad.
“Blessed asses shitting on us.” The fact that Jacoby, the guildmaster of One For All, had loss his famously cool temperament was a bad sign. However, he couldn’t blame the man. They were perched on the same rooftop, watching the same incredulous sights, and Lucas was far from composed. The only reason he’d been able to fight the prim...
2024-06-01 03:30:32 +0000 UTC View Post“Oh.”
The quiet exclamation was filled with more emotion than Alana had ever heard Talia use in a whole sentence, let alone a single syllable. Alana understood the sentiment. If she weren’t completely focused on the mission, on saving her sister’s life, then she might also pause to admire the sheer scale of destruction her lover was unleashing. All she could do was engrave the ima...
2024-06-01 03:30:29 +0000 UTC View PostThe James family didn’t have a motto. Some families added words to their crests, declaring their way of life. In the north, everyone lived by the same values so such an explanation was unnecessary. If anyone wanted to know what kind of family the rulers of Victory were, they had centuries of deeds and reputation behind them.
While she waited, crouched in an alley down the road from wher...
2024-06-01 03:30:26 +0000 UTC View PostAlyssa had underestimated her assignment.
Severely.
She thought, after years of Victory’s campaigns and years more as a captain of the Grand Watch, policing a group of civilians would be simple. Annoying, but simple. She couldn’t be more wrong.
Everything started fine. The Hall housed the best casters and some of the brightest minds in the kingdom. When set to a task, they...
2024-06-01 03:30:25 +0000 UTC View PostTime’s up.
I drifted off sometime in the night but Kierra practically leaping out of bed wakes me. She pauses in the middle of dressing when she feels my eyes on her and leans over me to plant a quick but hungry kiss on my lips. “I shall go first, my love,” she whispers.
“It’s dangerous to move alone,” I respond in just as soft a tone, still not thrilled with her chosen ...
2024-05-26 04:34:49 +0000 UTC View PostDuring the second day of my three-day amnesty, the city is busy. I take note of everyone’s frantic pace as I stroll the city, planning my attack.
The Hall has taken Kierra’s warning to heart. Every street I walk on, I see at least one acolyte, easily spotted by their distinctive colorful robes. They are just shy of forceful as they bang on doors and direct the civilians to evacuate th...
2024-05-26 04:34:46 +0000 UTC View Post“I must say, I’m very disappointed Lady James.”
Yulia wanted to spit in the arrogant man’s face but after who knew how long strapped to a chair enduring his questioning, she couldn’t muster the energy. Thankfully, the man hadn’t resorted to truly unsavory means but the constant barrage of questions on top of the deprivation, both of sleep and sustenance, was hard enough. Thoug...
2024-05-26 04:34:43 +0000 UTC View PostGeneva didn’t care much for her current assignments.
It might be arrogant of her, and she believed that she had earned the right to be arrogant if she wanted, but she considered herself an artist. Above mundane atrocities like a small plague and a few murders. They were even outside of her area of interest. Slitting someone’s throat in the middle of the night was so banal compared to ...
2024-05-26 04:34:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning is dark and gloomy, ominous clouds obscuring the city. A perfect match for my mood as I ride into the city. I wake to the succubi telling me that there’s been a response to the declaration of war. I hardly see Kierra as she makes her own preparations for the large fight ahead and I want to spare Alana whatever sight the guilds have concocted to scare us. For those reasons, Iâ...
2024-05-26 04:34:35 +0000 UTC View PostThings are…different since we resolved ourselves to war. No. Since we learned that Talia and Yulia were taken. The air is tense and a gloom hangs over the estate as we prepare to commit grim deeds. There’s an emptiness in my chest, a gaping hole in my emotions that swallow up everything and leaves behind a numbness. The only thing that can escape its pull is my anger. Anger and resentment. ...
2024-05-16 23:17:49 +0000 UTC View PostAlyssa hopped out of the carriage and slammed the door behind her before he could respond, her gait quick and filled with purpose as she marched toward the Casting Hall. The acolytes that recognized her called out as she walked past, but she could only spare them brief waves of her hands as she headed toward the stairs, taking them three at a time until she reached the highest floor.
At t...
2024-05-16 22:59:44 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m coming!” Alyssa shouted, as someone banged on her front door for what felt like the hundredth time. She snatched her cloak from the back of a chair and threw open the door, expecting to find the random member of the Hall’s staff given the unenviable task of hurrying her along to the impromptu meeting she’d only been informed about ten minutes ago. The servant was there, standing ...
2024-05-16 22:37:12 +0000 UTC View PostIt was Lucas’ turn to stare. Then he frowned. “Given your reputation, I didn’t think you would be the type for pointless self-sacrifice.”
“Few sacrifices are pointless but that is not what I’m doing.” Talia sat on the bed, making herself as comfortable as she could in anticipation of a long conversation. “I truly don’t know.”
“I thought you were her lover.” 2024-05-16 22:15:02 +0000 UTC View Post
The hunters weren’t terrible hosts.
As their group suspected, the hunters were more interested in certain members of the family. Talia was not too far from what the kingdom would consider a master caster, having mastered all the core spells of the interrogators and possessing a coefficient of over 400, but she wasn’t much of a combatant. Her affinity worked best against a restrained t...
2024-05-16 22:05:20 +0000 UTC View PostEarl didn’t have to wait all night.
A little over two hours after he found the room, there was a knocking on the door, three quick raps, two heavy pounds, and then a short drumming of nails on the wood. With profound relief, Earl rose from his chair and opened the door. Geneva waited on the other side, smiling smugly. He quickly stepped aside so she could enter the room and closed the d...
2024-05-09 02:17:00 +0000 UTC View PostI’m in the same position when Kierra, Alana, and Little Water enter, the elf leading them as she bursts into the study. My wife is a violent person, but she isn’t an angry one. She dispatches enemies with disdain or anticipation, never faulting them for trying to kill her. She doesn’t raise her voice when she argues, sarcastic mockery and sharp truths her preferred method of expressing he...
2024-05-09 02:16:55 +0000 UTC View PostLady Lourianne Tome,
If you are reading this note, then we have successfully raided the Teppin estate. We assure you that we wish no harm to you or your family. Our intentions were to retrieve the occupants of the house peacefully. If anyone came to harm, rest assured that they will be healed to the utmost of our ability and treated respectfully.
It is regretfu...
2024-05-05 23:59:00 +0000 UTC View PostIt’s done.
My heart is heavy but numb as I look at the destruction all around me, piles of corpses mixed with rubble from the damaged building and the floor coated with blood. It didn’t take long for the hunters to break. There are quite a few survivors, those who were smart enough to cut and run when they realized what they were up against. As annoying as they are, I understand them....
2024-05-05 23:58:57 +0000 UTC View PostHis lady had a reputation as a frivolously indulgent woman but in truth, Lou didn’t recklessly spend her, or more accurately her wife’s, wealth. Accustomed to a simple life, she was satisfied by simple things. She liked the comfort of wealth more than the pleasure of spending it. However, she was no spendthrift. When she did buy something, she wanted the best.
Something Earl was thank...
2024-05-03 05:42:52 +0000 UTC View PostThe James family valued one thing, war.
It didn’t matter how smart, charming, kind, beautiful, insightful, or anything else the children of the family were if it didn’t relate to the war effort. If it didn’t improve the fort’s combat ability, it was worthless. Those who didn’t fight were worthless. Pacifism was a sin, disdained with the same intensity as capital crimes like murd...
2024-05-03 05:42:49 +0000 UTC View PostAt first, Lucas thought it was a gimmick and remained on his guard, ready to cast at a moment’s notice. But the longer Gordon remained on the ground, the harder it was for him to maintain his tension. It was the shouts of the hiding lord, questioning the silence, that got him moving. Still, he didn’t approach. Instead, he used the same spell as before, targeting Gordon. Despite that, he sti...
2024-04-29 08:14:32 +0000 UTC View PostThe estate was orderly, with no signs of violence or ransacking. That was good. It was important that the Teppin family was recovered without harm. As nobles appointed to govern Quest and its surrounding territory, they were officers of the court. Their life, death, and affairs were the business of the crown. If they came to harm, there would be no way to keep the king from intervening in their...
2024-04-29 08:14:13 +0000 UTC View PostThree. It was a problematic number.
If it were a single mind, that would suggest a messenger. If it were a dozen or more minds, that would imply a mob, or perhaps a demonstration. Three was too specific. It implied a specific number chosen for a specific job. Those with the appropriate skills and no more. Elites.
Fen was one of the stronger thralls serving Geneva. Using the humansâ€...
2024-04-25 03:02:31 +0000 UTC View Post“You missed a spot, dear.”
Fen grinned as Lord Teppin stiffened and went back over the shelf he had just finished cleaning. She had to admit, it was a fun punishment. She was a logical creature above all else, but that didn’t preclude her or any other succubi from having interests. Most of them would be considered unsavory by human standards.
The more powerful succubi enjoyed ...
2024-04-25 03:02:25 +0000 UTC View PostThings had been going well for Callan. Perhaps too well. Maybe that was why he was currently crouching and crawling, trying to avoid stray spells and knives.
When he first received a summoning record from Lourianne Tome’s thrall, he only had vague ideas of power and achieving it. Contracting the Vanity King had opened his eyes and mind to much grander visions. He’d never been shy. Whe...
2024-04-22 00:22:09 +0000 UTC View PostIt sounded good. Too good. Lane wasn’t arrogant enough to think that he could make a difference in the world. Not even a hundred or a thousand of him. He knew better, but hope was an insidious creature. No defense could keep it from slipping into the chest and inflaming the mind. His good sense told him he was walking toward trouble, but he ignored it as he asked, “Is that what you’re doi...
2024-04-22 00:22:06 +0000 UTC View Post