Marie was glad that things were proceeding smoothly.
For the preceding weeks before arriving at the academy, she had been a bit of a nervous wreck, paranoid that someone would instantly snuff their group out as soon as they walked into the premises. What if a [Head Guard] had a [Detect Murder-Planners] skill? What if some long-forgotten acquaintance of hers suddenly popped up out of nowhere?
Realistically, she knew it was a remote chance. She had been sequestered away at her famil...
2023-05-05 17:21:57 +0000 UTC
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Fayette had been discovered. And there was a knife hidden in her hand.
Just a butterknife—but was it sharp? That was the question. And… should she use it?
Not yet—not right here.
Forcing her head down, Fayette shuffled to the side. “You’re mistaken sir,” she mumbled under her breath, then began to step away. Her mind was racing. What to do? She wasn’t supposed to be the one at risk of discovery.
“No, wait a minute there you—” The [Mage] sai...
2023-05-03 13:55:25 +0000 UTC
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A/N PATCH NOTES: For maid to kill part 2, I decided to get rid of the skill ranks we had previously, where skills were upgraded with skill points. I am on a crusade against numbers, so they are going bye. Now, skills are improved through gradual training with them. I think this will make the story better.
I will eventually edit part 1 to not have them for the ebook release, so they will remain for some time in the RR version. What do you think about this change? Onward with the story
2023-04-27 16:50:00 +0000 UTC
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St. Jean, city of dreams, pearl of the coast, heart of the empire.
Not the capital of the empire, mind you. The crown had never quite liked the site as much as the lords and ladies did, perhaps because the crown still remembered just who the eponymous Saint Jean had been.
The patron saint of the monarchy, who had raised a great fortress from the ocean, then fought back countless armies until ultimately forging two crowns into one—after chopping off the heads those two c...
2023-04-23 14:11:06 +0000 UTC
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Here is a little teaser for part 2: Maid to Murder
I'm still not quite set on the final form. Which one should I use?
What thoughts do these give you?
2023-03-26 17:12:17 +0000 UTC
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Finally, it is done. Part 1 is finished at about 260k words and with 5 months of writing and 3 months of hiatus. I’ve seen other authors like Temple write retrospectives like these, and I’ve always liked reading them, so I thought to do one of my own. Here, I’ll gather my thoughts on writing Maid to Kill so far, what I’ve learned, direction for the future, etc.
If this type of thing interests you, read along! If it doesn’t, you can skip this without worry. First, some backgrou...
2023-03-26 17:08:38 +0000 UTC
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Jacob sat in his tavern and watched his people with eyes that saw not faces, but fire.
Little fires and big ones, soldering embers and roaring infernos—all types were present at his tavern. And it was his job to stoke them—to make sure the fire kept growing and growing until it set the nation to flames.
That was the duty of a [Revolutionary Hearthkeeper].
Even if some flames were fickle.
Marat, sitting opposite him at the table, slammed a fist down. “You have to ...
2023-03-26 17:04:13 +0000 UTC
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Fayette found Mireille at the hunter lodgings, in their shared room. The [Seamstress] was sat upon her bed in a nightgown, working on a winter scarf under the light of a lantern. Char was lounging beside her on the bed, knitting a web of her own.
Mireille looked up from her work when Fayette opened the door. “Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you had gone off to.”
“I… had to think. About what happened. About me. About the future.”
“You, thinking a...
2023-03-26 17:04:07 +0000 UTC
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“Let us pray and thank the [Saints] for this timely resolution to the crisis, and let us give thanks to [Grand Magus] Mondoug for his valorous conduct in ending this national threat!”
Fayette was watching [Archbishop] Villefore give his victory speech, but she wasn’t really listening. She heard the words, yes, but they all rang hollow enough to disperse to nothing once she processed them.
A worthless speech. One to stoke the pride of the nation, and assure that measures had ...
2023-03-25 17:57:25 +0000 UTC
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8 hours before.
Fayette stared in shock at the others. “What do you mean they stopped you? Are they idiots?”
“Apparently yes!” Olivia screamed. The [Doctor] was furious, she paced around her chair like a prowling lion, and her hands were clutching open and closed like vicious claws. But that wasn’t nearly as threatening as the rage on her face, like a roaring inferno.
“The fucking idiots just couldn’t stop poking around, then they mad...
2023-03-25 17:56:55 +0000 UTC
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Catherine, the woman who had once been a [Botanist], didn’t sleep much anymore, but she did dream. Waking dreams as she walked the streets, fading remembrances of how things had been before.
She remembered how the markets had been full of bustle and activity, so she laid a rose amidst the ruins and walked on.
She remembered how the lines of drying laundry had hung over the streets, now replaced with tattered rags lying on the ground, and she laid a rose there too.
Then she...
2023-03-23 15:15:37 +0000 UTC
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Splat went the zombie, as Fayette’s broom smashed into its head. Splat it went again, when the damage was relayed further and the monster collapsed into blood. Splat went the blood as it sprayed onto the ground, missing the [Maid] with unnatural precision.
I can’t believe even something like this eventually starts to feel mundane, Fayette thought as she observed the circular patch of not-bloody ground around her. It was her ninth zombie of the night and she was only getting...
2023-03-21 14:02:41 +0000 UTC
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It took Fayette half an hour to whip up the contents of her apron of holding into a passable meal. Passable not because she thought the quality was lacking, but rather because she hadn’t added any of her signature spice in, mindful of the children’s sensitive tongues as she was.
However, as Fayette strode back into the hall, carrying a big pot of steaming chicken stew, she was surprised by the clamor. Or rather, the lack of it. Gone were the heckling voices of children, replaced wit...
2023-03-09 14:27:09 +0000 UTC
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“So, boy, what’s your name?”
“Hailey, miss.”
“Right. Now, Hailey—just hold onto my hand for a bit and I’ll pull you up to the rooftop… like that. Feeling steady?”
The boy nodded. Fayette tightened her grip on his hand.
“Good. Now, make sure to keep quiet and watch your footing—we’ll help you over any bigger gaps.”
The boy gave a determined nod, and Fayette finally let go, trusting him to manage the rest himself. Doesn’t seem too ...
2023-03-09 14:21:12 +0000 UTC
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Mireille did end up having to be the one doing the convincing.
It had been a simple process of elimination really. Olivia was stuck doing proper [Doctor] work for the day, it would be risky to have Marie act too [Lady]-like right now, and Fayette… Well. That one didn’t need much additional explanation.
The hunters had all been called up in the morning to the square, where the man in charge, Cadeau, had given simple instructions: Most wouldn’t have to do anything today, merel...
2023-03-06 14:19:22 +0000 UTC
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Fayette watched the hubbub in the medical hall a good distance away, wondering what was going on. Lots of people were rushing in and out, and a lot of noise was coming from inside, but she couldn’t really properly see without heading in. Is what Olivia did really that strange?
At least she had her [Eavesdrop], which had let her keep somewhat on track of what was happening. And kept her distracted.
She wasn’t really in the mood to think too deeply on matters, slightly ...
2023-03-06 13:24:39 +0000 UTC
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[Placebo]. A skill she hated needing because it meant she had to rely on something other than her medical knowledge. Oh, it was useful of course, no doubt about that. Olivia had been putting every skill point she could into it. But… if only it was just the lack of skill.
Finally calming herself, she stood up, took support from a wall, walked a few steps forward, and then collapsed down into the shoddy bed in the room’s corner. The damned skill really did make her feel confl...
2023-02-27 16:27:00 +0000 UTC
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The diseased were housed in a red brick warehouse, now repurposed into a barracks of sorts. The dim storage hall had seen a rapid transformation, turning into a makeshift hospital in a matter of hours. Plywood walls had been hastily erected by [Builders] to separate the patients, and crude beds had been assembled for them to rest in.
Only a few [Doctors] worked inside, wearing much heavier protective gear than Olivia as they guided the newcomers to their spots, more like prison wardens ...
2023-02-25 15:35:10 +0000 UTC
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No chapter quite yet (working on it). But have this early peek at the new cover which I commissioned. It is my blood era cover. I am in love with it.
Big ups to @uanne_art for creating this banger!
2023-02-23 12:56:51 +0000 UTC
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In no time at all, it was time. The hunters boarded the boats waiting for them, then slowly but steadily crept toward the island.
It was only a small distance, but the boats in use weren’t that big either, fitting ten passengers each. The gondola-like wooden vessels were crewed by 4 [Rowers] each, who moved in sync, dragging enormous oars back and forth. Fayette found herself following the rhythmic motion with her head, back and forth, back and forth.
She imagined a broom going ...
2023-02-20 11:59:47 +0000 UTC
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It was the dawn of the next day.
The sky had darkened from yesterday, threatening rain, but none had come down just yet. The storm was waiting. And Fayette hoped it would keep waiting, because zombie killing in the rain sounded like messy business. Or maybe it would be cleaner than the alternative?
Fayette watched the ocean waves crash against the pier and felt the wind on her forehead. Would all the rain wash away the grime and blood? Hmm… maybe that would be good.
...
2023-02-18 16:09:08 +0000 UTC
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Sure, it was great that a [Maid] was receiving a revelation on new skills, but truth be told, that was a minor matter in the grand scale of things. A magical plague was a big issue, and naturally, important people would have to decide how it would be dealt with.
To be more precise, three important people.
One a master of the arcane, one a leader of the faith, and the last a magnate of industry. Three key facets of the nation, and the backbone of its strength. It was time for their...
2023-02-12 14:57:12 +0000 UTC
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The day after the duel, Fayette’s body ached all over. Still, they were moving along fast, quickly approaching their target. Olivia was moving as if she was possessed, stomping along the road with her eyes never leaving the horizon. Mireille walked more calmly beside her, and Marie and Fayette brought the rear.
As she walked, Fayette held her broom in front with both hands, staring at it. She held it like a sword, trying to imagine herself as a [Knight] on the training grounds. It bob...
2023-02-12 14:50:08 +0000 UTC
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Mireille stared at her shaking hands, willing them to calm. And they did, just for a moment, long enough for her to do one quick stitch, connecting another torn bit of Fayette’s muscle together.
Marie, who was holding the still-unconscious [Maid] in her lap, quivered a bit at the sight, but Olivia, standing next to Mireille, stayed calm. The [Doctor] let a drop of healing potion fall onto the spot, and the bits fused together. Mireille removed the thread, and then Olivia finished the ...
2023-02-06 15:09:58 +0000 UTC
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Before a duel, there was a plan.
There was only a half-hour remaining before the duel was scheduled to begin, in a clearing by the riverside. Fayette was gathered with her advisors, thinking up different options. And the conclusion they all came to was…
“It’s all about that skill slot,” Fayette concluded, nodding.
Mireille nodded along as she paced in front of the [Maid], brow furrowed. “I really wish I had a free skill slot right now—so I could test these things...
2023-02-03 17:03:14 +0000 UTC
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Hey all, you might have noticed me publishing a new story on RR, a silly little rock litrpg. Its the reason the Maid chapters are a little delayed, but here it is for you now, finished.
I'll try and get maid chapters out before the end of the month.
The rock story was supposed to be just a casual, funny side project for the magazine contest (because I want the prize), but then it suddenly rocketed to the top ten on best rated, and I got hit with a bout of severe rating anxie...
2023-01-29 18:45:44 +0000 UTC
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It was a fine day for travel. The autumn sun lit orange leaves, making the cold wind seem warmer than it really was. There were few travelers this way, so there wasn’t much need to keep a watch forward, and everyone could just focus on the nice outdoors.
Fayette marched along the dirt road, broom laid against her shoulder, the bucket at its end swishing back and forth with every step. She was humming, cheerfully, feeling at her free hand. Feeling at the energy she could tap into, but ...
2023-01-23 15:02:46 +0000 UTC
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No chapter quite yet, as I had to go back and make some edits. We are only like 14 or-so chapters away from volume 1 ending, so I skipped ahead a bit and drafted out the ending chapters already. Which means I now know what exactly the ending is like, and what the path there will be like.
Which also means I had to go back and make a few changes, just to make sure things fit properly. There were a bunch of very minor things that I won't even list out, but two chapters received notably new...
2023-01-22 08:23:05 +0000 UTC
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As one hunter party set forth on a journey to answer a muster call, they were not alone. Many others heard the plea too and set out to aid. Many more did not.
Ah, hunters.
Those slayers of monsters, heroes from stories, and saviors of the innocent. Who were they really?
Marguerite thought she had a bit of an idea. It came with dealing with the lot as her job, being one of the two [Receptionists] employed at Coursan’s guild.
It was just another day in the quiet seasid...
2023-01-18 06:39:09 +0000 UTC
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3 hooded figures sneaked off into the night, leaving a murder scene.
The night loomed dark, lit only by hazy moonlight, shrouded in the mist rising up from the bogs. The three figures were dragging bundles wrapped into cloths along with them, ever deeper into the murky mire.
After advancing for a half-hour, they finally reached the deeper parts of the bog, near where the other bodies had been found.
And they stopped.
“You know, doing all this… it really makes us se...
2023-01-14 15:54:22 +0000 UTC
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