“I can’t believe I wasted a swing of my axe on those piss-poor illusions. Whoever casted those is getting his neck chopped off.”
Just as Pyre managed to get the door unlocked, Akemi heard the voices again, barreling down the hallway. The bats sounded tired and aggravated, and their footsteps were coming quickly, thundering through the corridor. They couldn’t be more than a minute away.
“You think it's one of Galzar’s runts? The Illusionists?” the other chimera ventur...
2024-01-15 11:48:14 +0000 UTC
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Once they were dressed in their new, full-body drapery, Pyre showed Akemi how to manipulate the magical stilts—er—Inserts of Lengthening. By turning a small knob at her ankle, the wooden platforms would raise slowly, until they were fixed at your desired height. As she had suspected, some sort of magical enhancement made them much easier to operate without training, too—it felt as if you were walking around in strangely tall platform sneakers.
“Wow, you look just
2024-01-14 18:39:02 +0000 UTC
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Her hands already swirling with fire, Pyre swung the door open. It rattled with a hard clack against the wall.
The room beyond was completely entrenched in darkness. Pyre’s fire illuminated just a small halo of objects in front of them: half-broken chairs, more bins and buckets.
Shit, Akemi thought. How are we supposed to communicate in the dark if we can’t see?
Hearing no obvious reaction to their entrance, the two women stilled. Akemi heard P...
2024-01-14 12:38:11 +0000 UTC
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Seventeen spikerat-murders later, they had reached the end of the tunnel.
Or at least the end of one tunnel. By Akemi’s estimates, the sewers branched off into at least a hundred distinct routes. But Pyre had promised her this was the correct one.
They were standing in front of a long metal ladder. Above it was a trapdoor, vaguely disguised as a dent in the ceiling. There had been an attempt to obfuscate it from the average sewer-traveler. The disguise, to say the least...
2024-01-13 09:42:25 +0000 UTC
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As the foul water churned through the tunnels, Pyre and Akemi discussed tactics. Mutt, in the meantime, had a field day with the local vermin population.
*You have defeated a level 3 spikerat - 20xp gained*
*You have defeated a level 3 spikerat - 20xp gained*
*You have defeated a level 3 spikerat - 20xp gained*
“Stupid notifications.” Akemi swiped them away, then turned to face the pika, who was licking its paws on...
2024-01-12 21:25:38 +0000 UTC
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“When you said sewer system, I was really hoping I heard you wrong. Like, violently wrong.”
“Villainy isn’t always shiny pearls, Akemi.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s apparently snake bites from goddesses and face-eating clowns,” Akemi muttered, wincing as she hit her head against the top of the shallow corridor. That had been the sixth time in five minutes; her skull felt like it was vibrating.
After clearing out of the tavern, Akemi finally followed Pyre’s...
2024-01-12 14:20:37 +0000 UTC
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“Why did you cover for me back there?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes you do,” she said. “The pocket watch. You gave her five whole silvers for it, plus the door.”
Pyre was silent for many seconds, then she sighed.
“To sate my own curiosity. Artifacts like that aren’t always good things. If it had a potent curse on it, I didn’t want it to be following us around.”
Akemi hummed. About as selfless as she expected. Which wa...
2024-01-11 09:59:33 +0000 UTC
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“So, rule number one,” Pyre said as they walked down the mist-filled streets of Grimguard, the early morning sun dawning over them. “No embarrassing me.”
“And how, exactly, would I do that?” Akemi said, chewing obnoxiously. They had just picked up breakfast at a nearby bakery—a very educational experience, considering she recognized almost none of the ingredients. “Please provide examples. Get as specific as possible.”
Pyre groaned. “Right. Like I’m falling i...
2024-01-11 09:41:59 +0000 UTC
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“The honor?”
Akemi could laugh. Some prize a dead piece of snake-hair was.
“Shut up,” Pyre said, elbowing her painfully. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nocturne set the serpent back down in the closet. Then, once the doors were closed, he turned one final time to face her. His eyes had a bright, curious look to them.
“She is new to this plane. Her ignorance can be forgiven—but heresy, that’s another matter entirely. A bite fr...
2024-01-10 10:36:20 +0000 UTC
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The rope ladder led to a trapdoor in the ceiling; it was left conveniently shut by Pyre.
“Asshole,” Akemi muttered, forcing her way through it.
It was a struggle, but she got it open, flopping her body onto the cold floor of the rooftop chamber. It was a magnificently angular room—octagonal, with floor-to-ceiling windows. No light leaked in under the drape of night, but Akemi imagined it looked fantastic during the day.
Nocturne stood in the center, by a podium. He had...
2024-01-09 21:13:35 +0000 UTC
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Important Author's Note:
Hey there! Quick note. I have changed the name of this guild from the Assassins' Coterie to the Shadow Auditors' Coterie, and same with Akemi's class, in order to emphasize that their class is not just a run-of-the-mill assassin, but one that deals with both numbers and blades, as you'll see come up very soon. Thanks!
---
When Akemi arrived at the altar, she found Bwog upside down.
Nocturne had him by the foot, and was just dan...
2024-01-09 11:30:12 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys, so, finally, my second story is here: Akemi (Reign of Villainy) has launched.
I'll keep this short: if you've been enjoying Akemi here on Patreon, it would mean the world to me if you can leave a rating or a review on Royal Road. It'll help a ton with going up the ranks on Rising Stars, and getting more eyes on this story -- which means, ultimately, more of me writing this story, and more of Momo, and all my other future work.
Thanks so much, and here's to more Akemi!
2024-01-08 19:18:35 +0000 UTC
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Of all the ways Akemi imagined she’d be welcomed into some assassin club—maybe by a shadowy gargoyle, or a quiet, masked man—she did not imagine that it would be by a clown.
The darkness had given way to a chapel. It was a marvelous thing, in the way that old things are marvelous purely because they’re old. It was terribly unkempt, the walls were falling apart, the hallway was full of foot-sized potholes. Runes were the only thing keeping the place alight, and then only...
2024-01-08 18:26:13 +0000 UTC
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Heyo. Small update about schedule.
I'm really feeling ready to launch Akemi (being rebranded as 'Reign of Villainy' - what do you think of the name?), and want to give it a true shot at RS, so I'm going to take a 2 week break on Momo, so Book 4 will start end of January. In exchange, you'll be receiving a new Akemi chapter every day next week, Monday through Sunday. This pace will likely continue after it launches next week. So, hope you're looking forward to more Akemi!
Vil...
2024-01-07 21:32:29 +0000 UTC
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Kobe had been nice enough to give her a map.
Not a niceness she necessarily deserved, since she had very narrowly thought of murdering him just a few hours before (and feeding his remains to her not-dog), but whether or not she deserved good things was not something that ever really worried Akemi.
In fact, it never worried Akemi. Her set of personal ethics was quite simple. If something good happened to her, it was meant to be. If something bad happened to her, t...
2024-01-07 16:56:45 +0000 UTC
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I had this idea for a story earlier today and can't get it out of my head. So I wrote it down. Then Patron Nell / Enabler Nell told me to post it. So here you go, enjoy if you'd like.
Blurb ----
Mira was your average American supermarket employee. Terrible wage. Worse coworkers.
That was, until she accidentally killed an alien she mistook for a supermarket rat. Slaying the strange creature gave her access to a very practical power: the power ...
2024-01-05 21:38:28 +0000 UTC
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Akemi hopped over the fence once more, strutting into the clearing without any attempt at subtly. Jore screamed as soon as he saw her, tripping over his hooves as he collapsed into the wild weeds.
“Kobe! it’s a… by the gods… it’s a person!”
“Yeah, right,” Kobe scoffed. “We’re in the middle of bumhell-nowhere. Are you sure you’re not just imagining were-rabbits?”
Kobe exited the tent next. He was a similar type of goat-person, nearly identical to Jore,...
2024-01-05 16:57:38 +0000 UTC
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Hey there!
So, Momo Book 3 is done! I honestly can't believe it. That book really put me through the ringer as a writer. In a good way, mostly. But it also taught me a lot. I really hope you all enjoyed it.
section I: re: book 3 ending & book 4
First I'm going to quickly address the ending. If you're someone who is a big fan of stat progression (this is a prog fantasy after all!) I want to make it clear that Momo has not suffered a permanent regres...
2024-01-04 12:14:59 +0000 UTC
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Far underground, beyond crags of broken bone and pits of rock, a small party of completely impartial judges convened to decide Nia’s fate.
“For causing such grave injury to her majesty, she deserves no less than death by a thousand rocks,” Grimli said, nodding to himself. “No, a hundred thousand rocks. No a hundred million thousand. And not rocks, but boulders, or maybe entire mountains—”
“The amount of rocks hardly matters. For destroying my Chickenductor, the only ...
2024-01-04 00:28:31 +0000 UTC
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It was only when she looked into Nia's eyes that she finally woke from the hunger.
Momo found herself straddling the woman, the last two chains of Nia’s soul dangling from her lips. The two Wraith weapons had slipped from her hands. Her skin was pale, bloodless. Her lips, usually either crooked or pursed, were slightly ajar. She was, in almost every way, a corpse.
But it was her eyes—so startlingly blue and alive, with pupils that grew and shrunk in size with...
2024-01-03 15:54:59 +0000 UTC
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At the very moment that Momo made up her mind, she found herself shoved aside.
Two heavy boots crunched the stone pavement as they passed her by. There was a woosh of blonde hair, and a pale neck spotted with two tiny red dots, gleaming in the moonlight. The woman, in her glinting steel armor, with an enormous halberd strapped to her back, looked like a regal dragonslayer. For a moment, Momo saw two of her, her vision splitting, before it merged back to one—one woman, all too familiar...
2024-01-01 22:01:38 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Hello! Long time, no Akemi! Since I'm off from work this week I have a lot more writing time, so I've written 3 Akemi chapters (in addition to the regular upcoming Momo) that I'll be sharing with you. If you've forgotten what's happened last, here's a link to the previous Akemi chapter.
------
As it turned out, the Mage Killer was terribly ineffective at killing anyone that was...
2023-12-31 11:38:01 +0000 UTC
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"After thinking for a total of fifteen seconds," Momo began, folding her hands together in a poised, presidential manner. "I'm ready to present my plan."
“We await your genius with bated breath,” Grimli said.
“Gods,” Nyk rolled her eyes. “Get on with it already.”
The creaky wooden rafters whined as Momo stepped to the right, dipping herself over the partition’s protective half-wall to take in the current state of the ribcage. It was no longer in motion. All the...
2023-12-29 20:29:05 +0000 UTC
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Everything resumed.
Momo was spit back out the way she came—suddenly rocketing onto Morganium’s chipped pavement, her knees scraping against rubble. Her head spun as she regained her vision of the scene: Morganium’s tower of black, still stabilized; Jarva’s body a pile of ash before her; the crumpled bodies of hundreds of Kyros’s failed soldiers.
Still no Nia and Vivienne. That was promising, at the very least.
The intense shaking of the pavement was less ...
2023-12-27 18:32:17 +0000 UTC
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Merry Christmas!~
----
The robot was three seconds away from having an aneurysm.
“Human! Human! So many human. Scouting vehicle is overwhelmed with indescribable emotion. Please recharge at the docking station.”
Sweat was slick on Momo’s neck as she hovered in and out of consciousness. She had freed, by her approximation, three hundred and twenty two souls. She could see the very last two now, their slender phantasmic bodies attached to her wrists. In th...
2023-12-25 19:16:53 +0000 UTC
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heyo, this week will be a christmas break :)
i got sick and also gotta prep for the family
new momo on monday the 25th
thanks for your understanding, and happy holidays <3
2023-12-16 11:56:59 +0000 UTC
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As Momo popped out of Mordecai’s domain, she found herself in the absolute cherry pit of the Nether. Hundreds upon hundreds of little Nether bubbles surrounded her. Tiny snow globes brimming with life. Well, afterlife. It was an overwhelming amount of options. But she just needed to pick one—just one—and make it count. There was no more time. There was no more running.
Congratulations! As it turns out, violence is
2023-12-13 22:24:46 +0000 UTC
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Momo scowled. She didn’t have time for this. Not only did she have the box to deal with, but Mordecai had made her very aware of the dire straits she had left her queendom in. If Nia really did have access to the Wraith Artifact Set, and Vivienne the Set of Blood Immortality, the combined effects, when at odds, could be cataclysmic.
Her blood ran cold to imagine Sumire caught in the middle of it all.
That image filled her with a new rush of adrenaline. She was going to ...
2023-12-11 09:59:53 +0000 UTC
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“A–an offer?”
“Sit.”
A chair which seemingly generated from nowhere and nothing appeared underneath her. She found herself collapsing into it, hands falling in her lap. She was so nauseous it was hard to do anything else. She couldn’t tell if the world was spinning anymore, or if the part of her cortex responsible for perception had just given up trying.
But her brain knew one thing. An offer from the God of Deceit was a poisoned apple. And Momo wasn’t very fon...
2023-12-08 20:10:26 +0000 UTC
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The next thing Momo knew, she was on the edge of a cliff.
She screamed, a rock giving way, then felt stupid as she remembered her wings.
They flapped easily, and she backed away from the cliff’s edge. Steadying her breath, she took in her new surroundings. From what she could tell, she was far above the clouds, on some sort of floating island. Beyond the cliffside, there was nothing for miles and miles—only the night sky, painted with dazzling stars.
“Oh gods,...
2023-12-06 16:34:39 +0000 UTC
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