Camille jumped when the ground shook again. “What was that?” she asked for the second time. Zack probably didn’t know any better than she did, but his tense expression didn’t help her nerves
She’d read about earthquakes, but those mostly happened on Norinthia’s eastern shore, more than a thousand miles from here. ...
2024-07-12 11:52:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone,
I just had a Zoom meeting with the cover designer, Jeff Brown, and this is the rough sketch that resulted from our talk (he did it while we were talking.)
The basic idea for the series was that each book would have Akari on the cover, with some sort of 2D symbol behind her. For example, Book 1 might have her bronze badg...
2024-07-10 00:46:49 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: This is the first chapter of my new cozy litRPG, Questers Valley. It's a bit different from my others series; I'm aiming for more humor, slightly less action, and much lower steaks. This is the first place I've posted it, so if you check it out, I'd be curious to know what you think!
“Slow down,” ...
2024-07-07 20:08:41 +0000 UTC View PostHere's the WIP blurb for my upcoming litRPG project. Basically, it's the short summary that might appear on a Royal Road or Amazon page.
The book is still in the outlining stages right now, but I'm hoping to write the first chapter soon!
~~~
Life is quiet in Questers Valley, even for Zack Farron, who spends his free time e...
Hi everyone,
Thanks for reading Web of Aeons! Overall, I was happy with how this book ended. I set out to make a more Akari-centric entry after giving Kalden and Relia so much page time in Book 3, and I personally think that aspect was a success.
I’d on planned on a total of eight books for this series, so that puts us ...
2024-06-05 12:45:00 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Last chapter of Book 4!
Ashur Moonfire stepped through a portal into the heart of the storm. Lightning flashed all around him, and the tides rose higher than skyscrapers. Two days had passed since his inauguration, and each one had been as wild and chaotic as the sea itself. Even Elise’s funeral had been a simple af...
2024-06-05 11:54:50 +0000 UTC View PostThe pain subsided with time, and even her burning crystal soul receded to a dull ache. Akari’s new body had healed the damage, and only the echoes remained in her mind. How much time had passed? Five minutes? An hour? She couldn’t say. But eventually, Thane and Relyn dropped their techniques and stepped back. Lena placed more devices on Akar...
2024-06-01 18:09:06 +0000 UTC View PostThey regrouped with the Solidors later that day, and Rosintar made them a portal to the cult’s safe house. It looked like somewhere in Northern Espiria, judging by the snowcapped mountains on the horizon. The buildings also had a log cabin aesthetic that reminded Akari of the Hunter’s Guild back in White Vale.
She sat with Kalden...
2024-05-31 00:49:21 +0000 UTC View PostGlim zipped through the streets of Koreldon City, searching for a familiar face. She passed dozens of mana spawn along the way, and she left clouds of pale blue mist in her wake. It felt good to kill something, especially after all they’d lost today. First their home, and then Elise. Glim didn’t even remember losing the house; a different ve...
2024-05-20 12:23:05 +0000 UTC View PostRelia staggered forward. The world spun around her, and she lost all sense of up and down. She collapsed on the street, and phantom pains surged through her arms and legs. Her condition was long gone, but her brain forgot that little detail whenever she exerted herself too hard.
“Over there,” Kalden’s voice said from somewhere nearby...
2024-05-18 11:55:10 +0000 UTC View PostAkari ran outside and found Relia kneeling in the street, cradling her sister’s head on her lap. The strike had crushed Elise’s sternum, caving in her ribcage, and distorting her entire torso. Akari couldn’t bring herself to look at the wound; she’d seen her share of injuries this past year, but nothing this bad.
Blood covered the ...
2024-05-12 19:51:17 +0000 UTC View PostValeria Antano chased her prey through the city. Blasts of fire propelled her forward, from the dark skies, above to the narrow streets below. Her Master senses guided her movements, and she crossed several blocks in a single breath.
Even with her portals, Akari Zeller couldn’t escape her fate.
Still, the girl’s instincts were im...
2024-05-11 18:20:11 +0000 UTC View PostKalden watched as Akari stepped onto the balcony. Knowledge mana flowed between their link, and he saw the world through her eyes. He felt the mana rushing through her channels and the pressure that gathered beneath her palms. Their thoughts wove together like two strands in a cord, and a battle plan formed between them.
Akari reached the ...
2024-05-05 15:13:32 +0000 UTC View PostMana spawn swarmed around them, leaping from the shadows in whirls of bright blue energy. Relia and Zukan conjured shields around the group, and Kalden and Elise joined them a heartbeat later. The ground shook as the Masters fought back in the train station, and their techniques flashed at the edge of Akari’s vision.
“We can’t...
2024-04-29 12:14:41 +0000 UTC View Post“This way,” Relyn said as they stepped beneath a stone archway. The remains of the terminal’s concourse lay beyond. Rubble and shattered glass covered the floors, and hundreds of civilians had taken shelter here. Some waited on their feet, ready for battle. Others huddled in groups among the benches, or behind the counters of the food cour...
2024-04-20 17:51:05 +0000 UTC View Post“No way,” Elise said. “That can’t be right.”
“It’s never killed a Mystic before,” Relia added.
“I don’t know,” Arturo replied. “Just tellin’ you guys what I heard.”
Akari’s heart raced as she processed these words. Mystics could live for centuries without aging, injuries, or disease. They were prac...
2024-04-13 19:51:22 +0000 UTC View PostAkari led her team across the city, crossing rooftops and balconies along the way. Rain struck her cheeks as she ran, and the wind bit through the gaps in her armor. Their destination was more than three miles from the penthouse, but her portals made quick work of the journey.
Even when they crossed a busy street, Elise’s dream man...
2024-04-09 01:03:18 +0000 UTC View PostAkari watched as the fire mana closed in around her team. Radiant bursts of color and heat spread across the horizon, climbing hundreds of feet into the air. It moved with unnatural speed, and the ancient trees turned to shriveled black skeletons. Smoke choked the sky until the only light came from Glim’s shield.
“What happens when it ...
2024-04-04 11:30:16 +0000 UTC View PostSpace warped around Kalden, and his body spun through the air. One minute, he’d been sitting on the sofa, holding Akari’s hand and making small circles with his thumb. His brother sat in the seat opposite them, and Elise Moonfire stood in the doorway. She’d been talking about her father’s strange behavior, and telling them all to leave t...
2024-03-26 11:31:20 +0000 UTC View PostAkari’s chest tightened, and her fingers turned to ice. No. This was too soon. They’d lost their first interschool match, and the later matches were postponed. Her team never got a chance to redeem themselves or to show how much they’d improved. She’d never had her chance to shine on the world stage.
Kalden must have notic...
2024-03-18 12:02:26 +0000 UTC View PostAkari stepped off the lawn and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Two weeks had passed since they’d built her new wrist launchers, and her team had to ramp up their training accordingly.
Displacement had changed all their tactics overnight, and those new tactics took dozens of hours to get right. Moving herself was one thing; Akari just ...
2024-03-14 11:28:13 +0000 UTC View PostElise stepped down the curved marble staircase and found her father waiting in the vestibule. As the senator of Koreldon, Ashur Moonfire typically wore suits of dark gray or navy, but not today.
Today, he wore a set of shiny black armor. The material looked almost like plastic, with dozens of small pieces that fit together like a puzzle. O...
2024-03-09 13:02:44 +0000 UTC View Post“So let me get this straight . . .” Relia took a long drink of her coffee and blinked the sleep from her eyes. “You talked with your dad . . . in the past?”
“No,” Akari said. “I mean, kind of. It started as one of Elend’s dreams, then my present self took over. Things got weird after that.” Talek. ...
2024-03-02 17:37:53 +0000 UTC View PostAkari blinked. Was this actually happening? She’d commandeered a flashback, and her father was just going along with it?
Focus, she told herself. Don’t mess this up.
Mazren leaned forward and met her eyes. “What do you know about revelations?”
“You need them to advance through the Master realms,” A...
2024-02-24 14:34:40 +0000 UTC View PostAkari crept down the staircase, carefully avoiding all the squeaky spots. Her father was in the kitchen, braising the pork for dinner. The scents of garlic, onions, and ginger reached her nostrils, but she ignored her growling stomach. She could eat later, when her training was done.
Finally, Real Akari thought from the back of he...
2024-02-21 12:58:46 +0000 UTC View PostRelia closed her laptop when the doorbell rang from downstairs. Great. Let’s get this over with.
Not many things could dampen Relia's spirits these days, but her blood still boiled at the sight of Elise Moonfire. She’d betrayed them all, and now she strutted around this house as if nothing was wrong. She and Akari trained toge...
2024-02-11 19:47:21 +0000 UTC View PostWeeks passed, and Akari spent more time with her teammates every night. By the end of the second week, she and Kalden could exchange thoughts with ease. Not just words, but images, sounds, and abstract concepts. For example, if Kalden needed a portal made, he could send her a mental image of the spot, along with the angle and dimensions of the p...
2024-02-04 13:26:34 +0000 UTC View PostThey won their match the next morning. And no, it wasn’t with the power of love and friendship. The other team just sucked.
Akari’s team started in an open grassland, with their opponents visible across the field. It was a single-elimination death match, like their match against Garriland Team Three. Apparently, these quick games were ...
2024-01-28 20:37:47 +0000 UTC View Post“Talk to me,” Irina said. “Tell me the rest of your dream.”
Akari frowned. “I don’t get it. Talking about the dream will make things better?”
The older woman spread out her hands. “Whether you’ve realized it or not, I suspect these memories have been affecting you for years. So yes, addressing them will make you a b...
2024-01-21 16:54:22 +0000 UTC View PostAkari’s eyes shot open. She’d been dreaming of Emberlyn again—some nonsense about the power of love and friendship. Her heart thundered in her chest, and sweat covered her skin, soaking through her pajamas.
That dream . . . Emberlyn’s mother.
Akari closed her eyes and saw the woman’s face clear in her mind...
2024-01-15 15:52:31 +0000 UTC View Post