The cavalry
The cavalry trotted along in neat rows of three along the snowbound road. Each horse had a thick patterned quilt extending from its mane to the base of its tail. Hanging down until the knees of the animal, it helped ease the chill of winter. On the saddle, sat a cloaked rider.
The soldier wore thick, leather armor, reinforced with gauntlets, greaves, and a breastplate made of iron. He held an upright wooden lance while a sheathed sword swung from his s...
2019-05-17 01:25:59 +0000 UTC
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A Discussion about Fire
"The Captain said to inform you that tomorrow he doesn't expect to cover much ground. The scouts patrolling ahead reported we will arrive near the old bridge. The road passes through a patch of woodlands, so it would take them some time to properly search for trails.
He also wants to stock up on firewood supplies, since we have two or three days' journey ahead of us."
Ming reported. He brushed the falling snow from his shoulders befo...
2019-05-14 01:54:06 +0000 UTC
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Star Field Ignition
The crackling sound accompanied a miniature explosion which enveloped the small tent. The shelter beside the wagon puffed with thick, impenetrable smoke.
A familiar hacking and coughing fit, followed soon after, as two children covered in grime and soot staggered out. The unnatural smog seemed reluctant to leave the origin of its birth, dissipating very slowly in small tentacled wisps.
The boy and girl inhaled the crisp winter air.
2019-05-10 01:55:24 +0000 UTC
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A Crazy Experiment
A team of four horses pulled a long wagon across the road while the wheels crunched on the freshly fallen snow. A beggar's blanket of white covered the plains, with torn holes showing patches of dried shrubs and obstinate tuffs of green grass.
The driver followed the recent trail of hooves from a cavalry squad meandering between the hills in the distance. Crumbling stone markers, ditches, and intermittent rows of hedges indicated the path on th...
2019-05-07 10:13:05 +0000 UTC
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The Red Lands Book 2.1 is out on Amazon!
Loyal Readers, the second arc The Red Lands is now out on Amazon. I have separated the arc into two parts so as to maximize the Amazon KDP program. The eBook will be out on free promotion from Sunday 5th May to Tuesday 7th May. I will be blasting posts every day to reach my subscribers and Readers so please bear with the junk mail.
Please help in sending the eBook to the top 100 by inviting friends and relatives to downlo...
2019-05-04 02:08:53 +0000 UTC
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The trouble facing the village
The academy provided courtyards for important guests, Scholars, and dignitaries who often visited. The location of these residences occupied a small area near the fields which catered to waiting tradesmen. Larger, prime estates suited the taste of the more important visitors, like the courtyard where the girl called Sahara stayed.
Unlike that palatial spread, complete with servants and hidden guards, however, the academy designated h...
2019-05-03 04:40:06 +0000 UTC
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Halfstone? What the hell!
While the guards cautiously secured the broken shutters, Chu walked over from the stairs and crouched next to a dead Bitzer. Unsheathing his dagger, he tapped the side of the demon beast with the flat of the blade.
"Hah, guess when it's dead it can't channel electricity."
"Only a living Bitzer can cast the spell to freeze someone. In the north pass, we also have a surefire way to tell if a Bitzer is really dead or pretending."
2019-04-30 03:11:45 +0000 UTC
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The warrior Lucy
Before the body of the deceased captain hit the ground, Lucy streaked past him while holding the pair of twin daggers in her soft hands. Her swift response startled the killer.
As a demon beast relying on a burst of speed, a Bitzer possessed superior ocular vision. Unfortunately, even it could not follow the movement of the human darting to its side.
Its brain had not issued the signal to remove the embedded claw inside the dead man when th...
2019-04-26 04:22:43 +0000 UTC
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A Bitzer Raid
Mr. Thomas shuffled forward while breathing heavily. His eyes opened wide in shock as the last sliver of doubt departed from his mind. A Bitzer! Sucking in a deep breath to calm his shaking hand, he turned to Chu.
"A demon beast called a Bitzer. This must be a scout from a pack since they don't move alone. Hurry, we have to leave!"
Mr. Thomas scanned the surroundings uneasily while mounting his horse.
"Lucy, ride to the guard post and w...
2019-04-23 01:12:35 +0000 UTC
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A modern-day relationship between the talisman
"Chu, how long will we dilly-dally here? Winter is only a few days away."
"Sakura left this morning to ask Elder Shi a question concerning the talismans. Depending on the findings, we should depart within the first week of winter."
"Alright, because most of the ladies are leaving to their families. The timing is perfect for us. The sun is going down, you want me to ride out to meet her?"
"She shou...
2019-04-19 04:57:16 +0000 UTC
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Chaos at the Dusk and Dawn Forts
A long line of caravans snaked along on the well-trodden road that connected the northern battlements to the Dawn and Dusk Forts at the south.
A towering man outfitted in iron gauntlets and thick breastplate armor rode alongside the leading wagon. A rounded fatty occupied the space beside the driver, jiggling on the worn stone and gravel road.
"Captain Reid, I'll need your men to help unload the supplies when we arrive at the...
2019-04-16 02:54:30 +0000 UTC
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Meditation or Gambling
Chu sat crosslegged in the dark stone room that served as his bedroom in the tower, immersed in meditation. His breathing and diaphragm seem to follow a strange but steady rhythm in tune with the wordless movements of his lips.
With his eyes closed an aura of solitude flowed from him. The slight twitching of the eyebrows into a frown and the little beads of sweat accumulating on the forehead indicated he faced some level of hardships.
2019-04-12 01:50:30 +0000 UTC
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Click on the google docs link and have a read. If anyone cannot access it, please reply and I can sort out the glitches.
2019-04-10 03:12:19 +0000 UTC
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This project has been ongoing for over a year and I am curious as to where my supporters have migrated from to this Patreon page.
2019-04-09 03:17:54 +0000 UTC
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Surprising Mage Norivak
Under the moonlit sky, long past the time of the witching hour. Far from the Mage Towers of Limerock...
"Jim, head to the left. Hurry and keep banging your sword and shield!"
"Toll! Halter and Bon are alone fixing the breach, cover them!"
Clod shouted out his commands in the darkness. He tumbled towards the silhouette of the nearby horse, his face covered in grime and dripping with perspiration. Feeling the saddle, he pulled o...
2019-04-09 02:45:17 +0000 UTC
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Discovery in the library
"Hehehe... Hahaha! I found you..."
Sounds of evil snickering echoed out from one of the rocky passages proliferating out from the library archives. It disappeared soon after as if the owner regained rationality and muffled his mouth. Such thoughts, which occupied the minds of the few disturbed mages while scouring through the ancient books, approached the truth closer than imagined.
Sitting on a boxy desk in a small cave while surrou...
2019-04-05 01:20:26 +0000 UTC
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The Bloodnight Society gang
The south gate of Frost City could be said to be the busiest. Lines of merchant wagons escorted by mercenaries waited on inspection before entering the city. Teams of adventurers and seekers of fortune came from other kingdoms. Most of these travelers used Frost City as their point of information before venturing into the plains and valleys near the North Pass.
The lure of becoming a Sersen brought thousands of these visitors to this ...
2019-04-02 01:29:17 +0000 UTC
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The headaches of Doug
Doug groaned as he massaged his forehead with his fingers. The grogginess from last night celebration had yet to dissipate. He practically rolled himself off the bunk bed of the small, dark bedroom and stumbled to the washbasin. Only after splashing his tired face with the cold water did his eyes open.
Unlocking the five pairs of deadbolts and removing the heavy wooden horizontal plank on the modified door, he then armed himself before walkin...
2019-03-29 01:56:32 +0000 UTC
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A sneak peek at a side work in development. For my Patreon followers who have loyally supported me.
2019-03-26 02:21:54 +0000 UTC
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The Perfect Gift
With the arrival of well-known, influential figures, the numbers in the hall swelled to over two hundred. The leaders of the Clans and Houses invited to this social gathering wasted no time in slipping in their promising talents. Chu's eyes twinkled since everyone brought a gift.
"Let me introduce you to Yu Sin. He is seventeen this year and serves as the assistant manager to the Blue Eatery. Most likely this grandson of mine would inherit this es...
2019-03-26 02:11:58 +0000 UTC
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A Birthday banquet with unusual gate crashers
While Chu negotiated at the table with a group of men old enough to be his grandparents, Miki and the others enjoyed a meal on the third floor. At the end of the afternoon, Chu left the Blue Eatery with a very satisfied, smiling face. His birthday plans could never have been better.
"From your smug face, it seems like it went very well."
Miki twirled in front of him while stepping backward. She lowered her playfu...
2019-03-22 01:23:34 +0000 UTC
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Meeting patriarchs
Chu turned around on hearing the conversation. An old man dressed in a decorated gown stroked his trimmed goatee while talking with the redhead. He had no idea how they knew each other but the old man didn't seem like the type to stroll around chatting with little girls. Not to mention a Patriarch of a Clan.
"Tomorrow we celebrate our birthday. My sisters will also be celebrating their coming of age day. We came here to make a reservation for lu...
2019-03-19 03:05:06 +0000 UTC
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For a sixteenth birthday
This vacation leave coincided with their sixteenth birthday. Chu found Mr. Thomas waiting for him among the supply wagons in the same field when they first visited. Dressed in an attire no doubt picked by Mrs. Thomas, he radiated the bearing of a successful merchant or nobleman with his demeanor. It seemed the old man regained a part of his soul during the past couple months.
"Well, seems like these couple of months have treated you well. ...
2019-03-15 01:46:24 +0000 UTC
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The meaning of 'low profile'
Chu remained in the inner tower browsing books in the library for weeks. To avoid attention to his research he decided to share a burst of enlightenment so inquisitive eyes could focus elsewhere. Surrounded by individuals who practically craved knowledge, he found this plan worked wonders. At least for now, no one kept looking over his shoulder making it easy to keep a low profile.
As a rule, every evening he strolled into a designated...
2019-03-12 02:30:18 +0000 UTC
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A hidden secret
Chu sat on a chair gazing out of the open window. From the room allocated to him within the larger inner tower, he witnessed the scurrying of heads below. In the distance, loomed the high, unblemished walls of the city as it snaked around to embrace Limerock. The aging summer sun hung overhead while shedding its excessive warmth.
His hand unconsciously raised up to wipe the fine beads from his forehead. The action roused him from his reverie. Looki...
2019-03-08 02:30:11 +0000 UTC
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The price of becoming a Mage
Chu gripped the heavy sack in his hand as he picked his way down the roughly hewn steps while following the back of Mage Norivak. Never would he believe that under the massive amount of stone slabs which composed the Inner tower, hid such a secret. Sure, he expected some hidden passages and rooms in the ancient structure but really?
An entrance located under five levels of basements?
The sole light source in this winding passage ...
2019-03-05 01:39:02 +0000 UTC
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Do you call that a Hound?
The Beast Tracking Division had its location in the southern part of the Outer Circle, close to the East Gate of Limerock City. Mage Pile, therefore knew nothing of the exploits of Sue in the northeastern circle, much less of the escapades in the book division.
As a Trainer, he did, however, know about the dangers of pill modification. Countless records existed during the inception of the Hound division which told of numerous pills and th...
2019-03-01 07:49:55 +0000 UTC
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Strange Girls
The Scribe walked along the cobbled stone street lined with well-maintained hedges and then rounded the corner. The large stone building of the publishing workshop loomed into view. The open green lawns, the patches of ivy and flowering vines climbing onto the discolored, weatherbeaten stones gave it a rustic feel.
The young man halted and then made his way to the nearby stone guard booth. Normally, those who visited this particular workshop would ba...
2019-02-26 05:36:57 +0000 UTC
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Practical Alchemy
Sue made her way towards the large lecturing hall of the alchemist division. For the past couple of weeks, since she had been summoned to the hall, she practically lived there. She supervised the modifications on the cauldron and introduced her own equipment. This week she began testing and familiarizing herself with the cauldron and finally achieved success.
Nodding while greeting the scribe opening the door to the offices, she entered with a sm...
2019-02-22 12:45:25 +0000 UTC
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A Diplegia Bitzer
While the rest of his companions shed the skin of keeping a low profile, Chu requested a single room and spent most of his days locked inside. Under the light from the window during the day or the flickering candle lamp at night, Chu meticulously translated the words from a scroll.
Whenever he encountered problems with a sentence, he would visit Mage Norivak in the hall. The frequent visits, however, to translate a rare and lost language would en...
2019-02-19 12:32:28 +0000 UTC
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