Captain Buttonwillow and Zalan broke into a sprint to gather the body in the sea to the shore. Nold watched them in confusion. They bounded toward the edge of the beach and Nold shook his head.
“McKittrick! Use your Elemental Powers!” Nold reminded them.
Neither runner listened. Captain Buttonwillow was too distracted by the sighting and Zalan knew that his lightning wasn’t going to be of any use to anyone floating in water. Both of them dove in, swimming to their targ...
2024-09-25 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Zalan hesitated, taking in the scene. Captain Buttonwillow hadn’t seen him before he snuck back behind a stone to hide from the pirates on the beach. He didn’t know how he was supposed to go about the situation. He was staring at Nold, but his instructor was far too enamored with the interior of the island. He hadn’t noticed the captain amongst the pirates.
“Nold, I saw Captain Buttonwillow in the sand,” Zalan said.
“Ah, shame. God rest his soul. Let us move on a...
2024-09-23 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Zalan felt sand under his fists and seasickness in his throat. He heard before he saw. There was a beach nearby, brushing up and down the sands near him. It felt odd and serene to him. He kept his eyes closed, deliberately taking in the moment. A light drizzle of rain sprinkled over his face. Zalan smiled. His mom would love to come to the small sandy shore of Yosemite Lake after a shift at work. They would walk along the bridge and watch the sunset together. He wished she were with him at th...
2024-09-20 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Leviathan loomed over The Aegeusson, its serpent-like head over half the size of the ship. Its red eyes shined brightly as the sun was blocked by the growing storm clouds. Its body was covered in sharp gray scales dotting down its neck. It swam slowly beneath the waters, keeping up with the speed of the ship as it looked it over. It was impossible to see how large it was beneath the sea, it went too far deep. Rep and Zalan stared in horrified awe. Judging by what little they coul...
2024-09-18 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Xavier pulled himself back up to the ship with newly carved pieces of Poniwhale in his hand. He looked mildly disappointed at his haul and Rep turned his head quizzically at the meat in his hand.
“Is it not purple?” Rep asked. “Was the whale sick this time?”
“The whale was fine. You used too much fire within it! You overcooked it from the inside,” Xavier said, clearly miffed by the fact.
“I see. I was more focused on preventing the creature from str...
2024-09-16 16:01:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
As promised, Captain Buttonwillow directed Enzo and Xavier to steer the ship at the break of dawn the next morning. Nold had worked through the entire night and went below deck to get sleep after they got moving. Rep and Zalan were awoken by the slight jolt of the moving ship. They made their way to the upper deck.
Captain Buttonwillow wore his beaming smile, though most of his weight was placed against the side of the ship. Rosemary was staying close, waiting for any orders that ...
2024-09-13 16:01:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
For the next few hours, all of the crew rested save for Rosemary who diligently worked on rebuilding the ship. Once she had the bowsprit in place, the boat was far more balanced and bobbed happily once more with the sea. Rosemary then went to the task of painstakingly creating an entire mast on her own. The longer the timber grew from her, the more Zalan grew to appreciate the utility of the Elemental Plant Power. It really seemed like they could build anything they imagined.
Rose...
2024-09-11 16:02:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Aegeusson rode the massive wave summoned by the Wavebinder. It flew through the sea, going faster than any boat Zalan had been on before. They were on a direct course for the Thalassic Terror holding Captain Buttonwillow McKittrick. As the wave decreased in intensity, the ship was finally allowed to level out, giving the crew enough confidence to let go of the pieces of the ship they were hanging on to. They stood with wobbling knees and one arm on something to keep balance....
2024-09-09 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enzo breathed heavily in pain as he tried to maintain the wall of water preventing the Thalassic Terror from pushing forward. Magnolia grit her teeth tightly as she reached her limits. Rep and Zalan swam as fast as they could with one hand, the other occupied with their drawn blades. The Thalassic Terror wiggled ominously as it broke through the net of sand. Enzo screamed in exertion; the last thread of energy before their captain was dragged away.
“I got it!” Rep managed to s...
2024-09-06 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hello!
Thanks for being a Patreon supporter. All right, now that it’s just us past the paid content paywall, I can say: Hi! How’s it going? Thanks for supporting my writing endeavors, it really means a lot to me!
If you’d like the eBook, it’s yours for free, as soon as this campaign is over and I’m sending out the electronic copies! I'll probably send an attachment on a ...
2024-09-05 17:03:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hello hello!
I write a lot of short stories, sure, but I also write novels. My newest book series is called The Homeseeker and as of today, I’m running a crowdfunding campaign for the costs of publishing The Homeseeker Book 1: A Rejection of Realit...
2024-09-05 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The oblong creature stared at The Aegeusson with mysterious intent. It was the shape of an upside down vase with a completely black exterior, like a hole on the horizon. Its two bulbous eyes sat on the top half of the curved form and there was nothing on the flat end of the bottom. It simply stood floating on perfectly flat water with its level bottom. To Zalan, it looked like a black ghost with massive white eyes.
“What is that?” Zalan felt the need to whisper. The wo...
2024-09-04 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The passengers of The Aegeusson sat around the deck chewing on cooked Slaughterfish, courtesy of Rep’s flames. The crew glanced at Zalan with gratitude in their eyes and smiles on their faces. Zalan felt a little shy under their gazes, especially when each of them were bleeding from several small bites from the defeated Slaughterfish.
Zalan took a careful bite from his Slaughterfish and chewed slowly. He swallowed glumly. It tasted like processed food again. It was unca...
2024-09-02 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Rep and Zalan were roused by a rapping at the door the next morning. Rep and Zalan both woke up with a start after a restless night of sleep in a moving bed. Zalan tried to roll out of his mattress before realizing the hammock didn’t work like that. Groggily, Rep pulled himself out of his hammock to get the door. Zalan fought to untangle himself from the ropes of the hammock. He ended up slipping and slamming shoulder first into the deck, kicking him straight to being fully awake.
...
2024-08-30 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Enzo tried to stand, but was blocked by his chair being far too close to the wall. He coughed as his abdomen got caught into the table and sat back down. Struggling and squeezing, he tried to extract himself from the chair, but was still too tired from assisting Nold in holding the ship upright earlier. He cleared his throat, embarrassed, and decided to remain seated.
The table was giving him their full attention, save for Rosemary whose eyes were lingering on the captain.
2024-08-28 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
Zalan stood alone, looking out at the darkening horizon. The sun had dipped away in the time it took to clear the lower deck of its damage. Rep wanted to go and find their sleeping quarters and make sure it wasn’t drenched in seawater. Zalan wanted to stay up top and watch the horizon, feeling mildly motion sick after being on the lower decks for so long. Zalan stood wondering what the rest of the journey would be like. He recalled that it was dangerous to be outside city walls after ...
2024-08-26 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Where is it? Where is it?” Zalan asked desperately, running his hands through the knee-high water.
He couldn’t figure out where the Homeseeker went. Soon, the water would be high enough that he wouldn’t even be able to keep looking before the ship took it down to a watery grave. With dread in his heart, he had the irrational thought cross his mind that it might have already ended up on the outside and was sinking into the sea. Could it have been sucked out instead of push...
2024-08-23 16:01:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Zalan blasted the fish-like monster before it had an opportunity to attack first. The creature jumped out of the water, avoiding the blast. It was larger than Zalan imagined it would be. At least half the size of The Aegeusson. It had red, hateful eyes looking upon Zalan with hungry intent. The end of its nose stuck out like a swordfish. Rather than a pointed end, it was more like a spiked club like the creature was spliced with weapons of war.
“Ah, a Poniwhale,” Nold remar...
2024-08-21 16:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
It didn’t take long for The Aegeusson to get ready. Barrels of food were gathered in the time the crew was brought together, all paid for by Ma. Once the ramp was pulled off the docks, the crew got in their places to get the ship on its way. Xavier stretched his arms below the sails and Enzo stood at the back where a rudder would normally be attached. Rosemary leaned against the front of the boat, looking as though she had no specific job at the moment. Magnolia climbed up to the c...
2024-08-19 16:02:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Zalan and Rep said their farewells to Junill, who made no promises not to use the Indefatigable Iron. Oshrad said nothing to Junill as he exited. They left the forge and followed at a distance behind Nold who seemed in high spirits. Rep and Zalan kept glancing at one another, wondering what to say.
“You look distressed,” Oshrad said in a low voice to the two friends. “Is Nold an enemy of yours?”
“No, nothing like that,” Zalan said. “He was our Instructor for th...
2024-08-16 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Zalan stared at Nold, trying to think of something to say to make him disinterested in the Island of Remains. He had assured Rep that Nold wouldn’t be coming with them, but now the instructor looked like he was fully committed to inviting himself. There was a fire in his eyes. He shifted his feet urgently, pointing himself to the port.
“Is there anything else you need to collect, or shall we be off?” Nold asked Zalan expectantly.
“Maybe you don’t need to come with ...
2024-08-14 16:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Rep rushed to Junill’s side, eyes wide and shaking. His hands trembled with fear as he reached out toward her, then stopped himself. He picked up something on the ground next to her. His hand quivered.
“She took it off!” He sounded greatly relieved. Rep held up the Indefatigable Iron that was wound to a torn necklace. “She lives!”
Zalan recalled that the Indefatigable Iron was an Artifact that allowed someone to have full, unwaning energy at every moment they had it touc...
2024-08-12 16:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Rep and Zalan followed behind Oshrad silently. They were uncomfortable, and doing a bad job at hiding it. He was leading them to Captain Buttonwillow’s ship, but they already knew where it was. They didn’t want to mention it to him for fear of saying the wrong thing to the man. Zalan’s emotions spun anxiously within his stomach. He was almost giddy at having gotten the ship, but struggled to express any emotion with Oshrad so close. He was as difficult to read as Ma. Soon, they arrived ...
2024-08-09 16:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Zalan rolled out of bed in minutes, more refreshed than he’d ever felt before. Stretching luxuriously, he tried to relax before he had to go face-to-face with Ma again. Rep hopped in next, closing his eyes and dozing off as Zalan looked around the room.
He could see why Ma was offended by the mention of money. Ma’s room probably cost a thousand times the amount of gold Rep could have offered. If not more. The gold he was willing to pay with wouldn’t even cover the door alone. The...
2024-08-07 16:03:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
The doors to Ma’s chambers slammed shut behind the guards. They looked at the double doors in confusion and a mountain of hesitation.
“Did she say to wait?” one of the guards asked cautiously.
“Ma is not usually one to be quiet. We would have clearly heard her if she changed her mind,” Oshrad said, but there was doubt in his voice.
The guards continued to stare at the door dumbly, not sure what to do. They never went back in without carrying...
2024-08-05 16:03:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Rep and Zalan bolted upright on their respective cots in Journey House. Covered in bruises and open cuts given to him by the rocks thrown by the Earthenbeasts, Zalan was grateful not to feel a new wound from the last hit the Boznok leader got them with. Rep looked around manically and Zalan held up the mound of dirt. The flower was still alive, but it was drooping. Zalan drew a macabre parallel between himself and the flower. The closer it drew to death, the closer he felt.
“Whe...
2024-08-02 16:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The ten Boznoks stomped toward Zalan and Rep, all in step. The scene gave Zalan an ounce of strange relief. They looked organized. Like men who had been drilled for battle. He hoped that had to denote some sort of communication and ability to understand him. The largest of the Boznoks snorted brutishly and the Boznoks came to a halt. It made a low noise at Zalan, holding its axe out toward him. The weapon was less than a foot from Zalan’s chest. Zalan swallowed, finding it very difficult to...
2024-07-31 16:02:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Several Bloodbeaks dropped into divebombs, rushing to enter the narrow areas of the cliff Rep and Zalan were located within. Zalan threw more bolts of lightning at the monsters, hoping to strike a few down before they got close enough to attack. To his surprise, they were more agile than his first encounter, tilting away from his electricity and screeching.
“They’re faster now?” Zalan asked.
“Perhaps a result of them fearing for their young.” Rep motion...
2024-07-29 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
Rep sighed in disappointment, looking over himself. He was completely cleared of all the cuts and bruises the rocks had just delivered him. He looked the antithesis to Zalan, who was a colorful display of red, pink and purple from face to foot.
“Hey, congrats. You’ve been Level 5 pretty long, right?” Zalan said, trying to make the situation seem better.
“I hope that this will not hinder our ability to gather the flowers from the beasts that lay beyond here,” Rep sa...
2024-07-26 16:03:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
The further up the cliffs they walked, the more precarious the ground became. The path was narrow and rocky, nothing feeling stable enough for their weight. The water below was aggressive. The ocean no longer looked shining and inviting, but hungry and devouring all those on the coast. They had yet to see any monsters thus far, and that made them more nervous. Whatever was up here was taking too long to see. The wait was maddening. Zalan wished he saw some great creature instead of nothing th...
2024-07-24 16:03:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
