"Hons! Why did you stop us from retrieving Oscar?" Almos shouted.
"You allowed that human to enter the pools? Why is he not melted away by the special Ein? Why isn't it rejecting him?" Ness scowled, hovering over the waters but not entering, retracting her talons. "Did you do something, Hon...
2023-06-28 00:38:49 +0000 UTC View PostThe air was stifling. Oscar could only gasp for what little his lungs could take in, too little as his cheeks blued deeper every second. Dark storms brewed overhead, and the last warmth in his blood disappeared, vanishing along with the light of the two suns. It started with a shake in his chest,...
2023-06-27 03:18:47 +0000 UTC View Post'You fought well. But I still have much left in store while you're nearly done.' Ruvin's shoulders shook as light laughter escaped his closed beak. Short pauses of grunts showed the hints of exhaustion eating away at him.
'I have to admit. You got me.' Erden faced down to ...
2023-06-26 00:14:38 +0000 UTC View PostA few days ago, when Erden was training with Avril and Oscar, they discussed the best plan to tackle an opponent like Ruvin.
"The worst two aspects are his aerial advantages and elemental power." Oscar sounded worried. "A crow or any flight bird has extreme advantages in an aerial battle. S...
2023-06-25 21:42:36 +0000 UTC View PostScreeches wailed from the crystal hooves meeting the sharp talons. Erden grunted from the pain as sparks flew from his hooves. Even with the amount of Ein he poured into them, his hooves were outmatched by Ruvin's talons, a slight crack appearing on its hard surface.
Even worse, Erden felt ...
2023-06-24 17:35:40 +0000 UTC View PostOne could say it was a great migration. Masses of Exalt Beasts spanned over the sky, casting large dark shadows on the lands below, almost as if night descended during the day. More Exalt Beasts stampeded and trampled around under the shadows of the flying beasts, zipping from tree to tree, rock ...
2023-06-23 17:37:56 +0000 UTC View PostOscar followed behind Hons, the Gorilla King Exalt, keeping an eye on his rough, shaggy black hair spread down the back to the knees. From what he witnessed earlier, Hons was the higher King Exalt in the hierarchy, above Almos and Ness. Parts of him twitched and stretched, an unsettling feeling i...
2023-06-22 23:09:15 +0000 UTC View Post"Cheers!" Oscar clinked his cup against Avril's, the preserved fruit juice spilling slightly on the floor. Downing the entire cup, he sighed in satisfaction, wiping his lips. Avril did the same, her eyes shining with clarity and purity, not a single blemish within those golden pupils.
"Do y...
2023-06-22 02:28:27 +0000 UTC View PostOscar and Avril settled themselves on the edge of the floor, right before where Marshal Exalt Beasts rested on the first layer of the wooden steps, overlooking the battle. The layers above drew further away from the center but higher from the floor. Many other Exalt Beasts watched the battle betw...
2023-06-21 14:43:34 +0000 UTC View PostErden stepped forward and bowed his head to the three King Exalts. "First, it is an honor to meet three King Exalt Beasts. I am Erden, hailing from Ashen Grove, a small realm bordering on Talos."
"Cawcawcaw! He talks!" Ness, the Crow King Exalt, laughed and readjusted her talons around her ...
2023-06-19 23:07:01 +0000 UTC View PostInside the relaxing chamber carved within the trunk of the great tree, Oscar poked at the small pool of golden sap with a stick. Wary of the raw Ein within, he scooped some with a spoon and applied it to Erden's wounds. The sap seeped into Erden's body and began to smoke up. The deep gashes and i...
2023-06-19 18:18:03 +0000 UTC View Post"That man in your arms. We smell it." A loud sniff drew in the air like a hurricane. Avril hugged Oscar closer, barely able to hold herself together against the terrifying power laced in each word from the King Exalt. "He smells like us but is human. Human….but with the aura of us. Is it Blood ...
2023-06-18 23:35:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe mask, which Oscar carefully crafted for her, had many cracks from the crushing rapids from earlier. Pieces chipped off and rested softly on the sand under her feet. More and more pieces fell until the entire mask lost its hold and landed below, revealing her scarred face.
Ignoring the b...
2023-06-17 23:47:55 +0000 UTC View PostFirst, it was the downpour of drizzles of seawater, the salty scent oddly comforting, and then the waves washed over his body, a sense of renewal washing away the discomfort and tiredness. Oscar felt the shackles breaking away. His body trembled from the freedom, the liberation. Sweet liberation....
2023-06-16 00:31:01 +0000 UTC View PostRegis rubbed his rear, hissing from the bruises on his arms. Extending upright, his legs regained strength, and he exhaled deeply to calm his rampaging heart. He sighed in relief to see the silver pocket watch still in his palm; it was his grandpa's last gift to him and needed to be cherished. 2023-06-14 19:57:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Rushing down the hallway, Oscar passed through various rooms where servants were cleaning, taking a few left turns until he entered his main office. Inside there were Fenu and his division captains, his companions throughout the years in the Burning Valley. Stepping inside with Avril and Erden, O...
2023-06-14 18:28:32 +0000 UTC View PostThe red skies of the Burning Valley were surprisingly clear on this day. The black smog-filled clouds could not be seen for thousands of miles, and the light of the red orb shone on every crevice, every ridge, and every shadow. Oscar leaned on a stone column, his eyes staring at Quinn. The young ...
2023-06-13 22:51:12 +0000 UTC View Post"Quinn?" Avril's call to the creature stumped Oscar. His eyes darted from Avril to the ash humanoid back and forth, and his mind zipped through all the memories of Quinn, the young and immature youth who was often embarrassed by Old Yule's affection and asked him to train him.
That creature...
2023-06-13 01:06:52 +0000 UTC View PostOld Yule relaxed her wrinkled hands and patted Avril's shoulders. She tugged her up to stand on her feet. Old Yule sighed, her wrinkles deepening, and said. "Sorry for the illusion. I thought about the various ways to reach deep into your mind, but this was the most direct method. Forgive me if I...
2023-06-09 15:28:44 +0000 UTC View PostDense mists shrouded the skies and surfaces one would not be able to see an inch from their eyes. The ocean lay deathly still, not a single ripple or passing wave. Within this dense fog and sailing above the still waters, a ruined ship floated around, a lack of sails and the rotten state of its d...
2023-06-09 01:45:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe air grew stifling from the polluted dust that lingered and the smoke spilling from the purple flames. Avril pushed on the caved-in passageway with her wooden hand spell, her face twitching in surprise at how it instantly dissolved. She frowned and cracked the ground with a falling kick.
The sounds of his labored breathing echoed through the caverns. With a face full of sweat, Oscar leaned on the paved portion of the walls, the smoothness of these polished works reaching only a bit taller than his height. Erden stood beside him, watching their surroundings, ready to pounce on any...
2023-06-07 21:19:11 +0000 UTC View Post"Not spoil the joy you're all feeling, but there is one slight item left on the list," Adam said, apology laden in his tone. He glanced at Oscar and the others, sighing and patting Tort's shell, indicating for them to sit.
"Explain. You just said earlier, in your own words, congratulations....
2023-06-07 01:35:30 +0000 UTC View Post"A Wortortle? What is a mythical Exalt Beast doing here?" Geno glared, a dangerous red gleam shining behind his glasses as his lips smirked viciously. "No matter, you're clearly on their side. However, how fortunate it is that I can have you. The sheer adaptability of a Wortortle is something I'v...
2023-06-06 21:11:13 +0000 UTC View PostShe remembered everything from when she was angry. Avril recalled the battle a year ago. The man, sent to follow after her on the mistress's orders, was kneeling on the ground.
"A mere slave like you, nothing but one of the mistress's toys, dares to believe you can keep hiding away. You kno...
2023-06-06 17:41:53 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 1: The Tower Calls
Chapter 2: The Prelims
2023-06-05 22:41:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
'Your path lies within…enter the tower…climb and rise above.'
Regis struggled in his sleep, unable to get the voices out of his dreams. The voices spoke in young, elderly, hateful, loving, girl, boy, woman, man, sad, and happy as if thousands of people called out to him. Clutch...
2023-06-05 22:36:34 +0000 UTC View Post"Ring the bells of severity!" Fenu shouted to the troops. Bells rang around the army, alerting everyone to the nature of the situation. If no one knew about the enemy, they did now as the shouts and warcries deafened the bells coming from the armies that popped up from the horizon.
"They wa...
2023-06-05 03:21:03 +0000 UTC View PostOscar and Erden entered a large room filled with boiling cauldrons. A strange fog swirled up in the ceiling of the tall walls, not hindering Oscar's vision as he made his way through. He almost called out for Avril until he found her near a cauldron. She was so focused she did not notice or hear ...
2023-06-05 00:41:34 +0000 UTC View Post"Hold on. You said the time has come, but here–" Oscar tapped a part of the letter. "It says the Four Lords Gathering is in one year." Oscar looked questioningly at Sevon and Adam and told Erden to bring his tired body toward them. "Yet, you speak of taking the Burning Valley now?"
Sevon ...
2023-06-04 21:51:58 +0000 UTC View Post