Before Joe could ask for an explanation, a small head poked around the cheese wagon and caught his eye. He stared at the small-statured person, who scanned him in turn with a bored gaze before vanishing once more. “There are more people!”
“Don't worry about her.” Mak shook his head and briefly rolled his eyes up to the sky as though looking for patience. “That’s just Beth. She’s… well, she sells fairly useless goods. She's been following me around for years, though I int...
2025-04-25 11:00:51 +0000 UTC
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Before Joe could react, an arrow pinged off the now-closed entrance, which latched just before the projectile reached it. Forcing himself not to focus on Heartpiercer’s impressive reaction speed, Joe sprinted toward the imposing gate, heart hammering as his initial panic shifted into rage.
His Ritual Orbs swirled out from where he had stored them in his ragged bandolier, swishing forward and bouncing off the metal door with a staccato beat. “Open up right now, or I'm going to le...
2025-04-24 15:42:25 +0000 UTC
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Joe walked along the empty streets of Vanaheim, staring at his feet and thanking his lucky stars that his Exquisite Shell protected them from the cool surface of the smooth pavement beneath them. Technically he was still wearing outdoor-acceptable slippers, but they were so heavily damaged that his toes were poking out in areas.
As the small group trudged along for another hour, the eerie silence took more of his attention. Occasionally, the Ritualist would even peek over his s...
2025-04-24 15:41:04 +0000 UTC
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The air in the audience chamber *crackled* with power as Grandmasters from all over Vanaheim slowly filled the room. It didn’t matter if they were swordsmen, paladins, or mages; nearly all classes and professions had a representative.
As the attendees became more numerous, factions and cliques began to become apparent. Various groups glared at each other, and a dividing line slowly emerged, wide enough for two of the tower-shield-focused classes to walk along side-by-si...
2025-04-24 15:39:33 +0000 UTC
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She was surprised when her eyes reopened, but frankly she was surprised the incessant, stinging pain traveling through her hadn't woken her up earlier. Goldie opened her eyes, eliciting a shout from a pair of attendants who’d been noting every twitch she made.
“-Highness! She awakens!”
Moments later, a familiar face, one Goldie wouldn't mind becoming more familiar with, filled her vision. Roburt gently reached out, caressing one of the only pain-free patches of skin on her f...
2025-04-23 11:00:10 +0000 UTC
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“There. It's over.” The queen gestured at Goldie as she casually strolled toward her stone throne. “Time to figure out what pittance to offer her in place of the prince. I'm thinking we put together a protected room in the castle where she can live while serving us. There's no need for pay, of course. If she wants anything, we'll just have her ask me, and I'll decide if she should get it. It’ll all depend on her good behavior, of course.”
Plopping onto the throne, Bruteh...
2025-04-22 11:00:09 +0000 UTC
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“While I admire your… tenacity, I’m going to break you. Bring you an inch from death. Then I will extend my hand once more, drenched in your blood, and make you a far different offer. One you will weep tears of joy to receive, as it means the pain will end. If you survive, it’ll be because you’ve learned your lesson and view me as the god-queen I am.”
Brutehilda stepped forward, tossing her shoulders back as she flexed in preparation of a proper beatdown. “You’ll never a...
2025-04-21 11:00:27 +0000 UTC
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Goldie kept her mouth firmly shut, fighting the instinct to accept immediately or wilt under the queen's oppressive glare. Her gaze drifted from the queen’s penetrating stare to the king and prince, and a flicker of surprise stole over her as she saw their shoulders sink, their expressions falling into something akin to resignation. The offer—the threat, if she were being honest with herself—hung in the air.
“They're expecting me to accept… and why wouldn't I?” Goldie bowed ...
2025-04-18 11:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Gentle hands prodded Goldie’s shoulder, cutting short the first proper rest she had managed in ages. Her crusty eyes slowly blinked open, and a nervous servant's face filled her view. Not fully out of her dreams, she angrily rasped, “Off… w-with her head.”
“What?” The servant stepped back, but the half-mumbled words were quickly forgotten as she remembered her duty. “Rapunzel, the royal family will be arriving soon. You need to be prepared, or you’ll spoil your first imp...
2025-04-17 11:00:10 +0000 UTC
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As it turned out, all she had to do was wait.
Soon, a set of palace servants rushed in, carrying not only enough food to be technically qualified as a feast, but tables and a chair for her to sit in that was not a throne. Goldie couldn't be too certain, but they’d seemed at least slightly aghast at her presumption at sitting in the chair that must be for the prince. “Probably think I'm going to be a princess soon, so they’re holding their tongues. That’s a nice little bene...
2025-04-16 11:00:34 +0000 UTC
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With every footfall leading her deeper into the slums, Goldie became more uneasy. Dozens of people were peeking out of windows, through the spaces between boards, and none of their gazes were friendly. “By the system, I better hope I don't sneeze too loudly and set them off. Everyone in this place looks ready to gut someone if they think it’ll give them a slight advantage.”
Slowing down even further, Goldie pressed her back to a wall and carefully shuffled past a small group of ca...
2025-04-15 11:00:36 +0000 UTC
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The door leading upward smoothly swung open, and Goldie walked through with the pain of her broken ribs flaring with each movement. Part of her attention remained on the four remaining criminals in the room behind her—unlike the slum dwellers on floor three, she had no trust that these people wouldn't attack her for self-serving reasons. Only when the door shut behind her with no visible way to reopen it did she slowly relax.
Unfortunately, as the adrenaline faded, her ribs and ...
2025-04-14 11:00:43 +0000 UTC
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Goldie felt her heart fluttering against her ribs like a trapped bird as she stepped off the stairs into a dimly lit room, this one something she would consider actually properly sized for the position in the haphazard tower. The stone chamber held nothing to distract from the five men standing in the center, their hands bound together with rope and tied to a ring driven into the floor. Each stood with a cloth bag over their faces, waiting silently in a line with their shoulders hunched, as i...
2025-04-11 11:00:14 +0000 UTC
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The mocking sing-song laughter trailed off, leaving Goldie gasping on the glass covered floor clutching at her abdomen. Her lifeblood seeped between her fingers, the hot and viscous liquid a sharp contrast to how cold her digits were becoming. “I got… so close to being safe for the rest of my life. I guess I'm safe right here… for the rest of my life.”
A harsh wheeze of laughter burbled out of her as the thief tried to keep pressure against the gaping wound. She could even feel ...
2025-04-10 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Even while leaning against the wall of the stone room where she and her group had found safety, it still took Goldie a few moments to realize she was actually safe—for the moment. The stone door behind her was shut tight, and the likelihood of anyone managing to enter in the next few hours was extremely low, with all of them converging on the door and likely even now fighting each other.
She looked back at the royal guard, who was motioning her forward, and she slowly followed a...
2025-04-09 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Reaching the base of the ladder, Goldie leaped upward, grasping onto the rungs and hauling herself up as quickly as possible. Her hands and feet flew as she climbed, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she did everything possible to put distance between herself and the chaos below. Projectiles swarmed up at her, only to embed themselves in her hair and vanish into storage. Though she was gasping for air, she still managed to bark out her thanks: “Good job, hair! That's a fantastic way to d...
2025-04-08 11:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Hi all! I'm absolutely loving the quality reviews coming in on Red X Wolf! I asked for reviews with captions, and you've been delivering!
I'm gonna take a break from posting Damsels of Distress after Rob X Punzel... because I've been writing Completionist Chronicles for a couple months now, and have a huge backlog of chapters!
The plan is to let you have the whole book in JUNE, so we gotta get on it here!
To make it happen, how does chapters every week...
2025-04-07 18:53:02 +0000 UTC
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The top of the herald's head poked through the reopening trapdoor of the dais, his face scrunched up into disgust as fluids trickled into the small chamber he had retreated into. A glance at the sky showed that it was only five minutes before midday, so he pulled himself up and out, taking a moment to peer around the open arena. Letting out a low whistle, he met the eyes of every individual or small group remaining on their feet.
“Nearly fifty people making it through?” He tapped at...
2025-04-07 11:00:05 +0000 UTC
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The Alchemist's hand began to glow, but just before he could unleash whatever he was preparing, the sound of hundreds of armored boots running along cobblestone filled the air. As the first of the new arrivals rounded the bend, showing themselves to be another company of city guards, the Alchemist’s face twisted into a deep scowl, even as the glow collected at his fingertips faded away.
“I had hoped they were stationed nearby, but that was lucky,” Crunch muttered gratefully as he...
2025-04-04 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
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“No, no, no…!” Goldie's heart pounded in time with her feet as she sprinted across the rooftops of the slums, the rickety buildings creaking ominously below her as she pushed against them. She had managed to lose the bulk of the mercenaries back in the merchant district, but alarms were going off across the city as she passed through it. She skid to a halt at the edge of a rooftop, eyes locked longingly on the towering ring wall that separated her from freedom.
It had been a stapl...
2025-04-02 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Leg outstretched, Goldie landed a picture-perfect axe kick onto the knife-wielding leader’s shoulder, taking him painfully to the ground, even as dense curls cushioned her landing. The thief turned her momentum into a backward roll, getting to her feet as her hair swirled up and over her head, sending thin streamers of light rippling across the alley walls. Each of the men had taken a cautious step away as they saw their leader go down, but their surprised expressions quickly shifted to sne...
2025-03-31 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
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A boot softly pressed into Goldie's side, just enough to elicit a groan from the sleeping woman. It came again, and the thief went from asleep to fully cognizant in an instant, sweeping around and to her feet, blades in her hand as she tried to assess this new threat. There she stood, feeling slightly foolish as she looked into Xander's bemused eyes.
“You sleep soundly for someone the alchemy guild has thrown a fortune into capturing,” the forgemaster stated flatly as he looked away...
2025-03-28 11:00:12 +0000 UTC
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Extensive → Master-rank Magical Signature Emission immunity gained!
Goldie let out a deep sigh of relief as the system notification itched its way onto her arm. She had stayed on the move for a full twenty-four hours straight, and she was near the edge of collapse. “Combine that with such a full day on the heist, and I've been awake for… what? Nearly two full days?”
For some odd reason, the thought made her giggle, and she nearly fell to the ground as it m...
2025-03-26 11:00:13 +0000 UTC
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Knowing there was nothing she could do for him, Goldie let out a strangled scream of loss and launched herself upward. Her hair gripped onto the ceiling, and a moment later, she was on the other side.
“Lu-caa!” Her scream shattered the silence of the night, and she saw her team shoot into a standing position. She was already running, but not toward them. “They got Chay! Assume they know everything about us! Forget the loot, forget the plan, run!”
A sharp ...
2025-03-24 11:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Fun and frustrating fact for you! Amazon broke for a long while at the start of the week, and did a 'rank freeze'. 🙄
That means every book stayed locked in place in the rankings no matter how well they actually did. Also, almost none of the reviews are coming through. So! I'm hoping for some help.
For every 50 five-star advanced reviews I get on Amazon (as in, has a written review with it) I'll add in an extra chapter per day for each tier until we ...
2025-03-21 15:29:43 +0000 UTC
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The magical storage space in Goldie's hair had long since been filled to capacity, and now individual strands were wrapped around various shining bits and bobbles. Even with its ability to muffle noises, she still *clinked* gently whenever she moved.
“Chay. That's enough. My skill just came off cooldown, and frankly I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get both of us out of here without dropping half of what I’m already holding onto.” Goldie stared at th...
2025-03-21 11:00:08 +0000 UTC
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The group lay on the shingles of the high-end warehouse, feeling chills running through them as they pressed against the magically potent wards built into the structure they were resting on. Goldie dug the tip of her fingernail into a slight imperfection, gasping in pain as energy jumped through her finger. Joss smacked her hand back, trying to break the connection between her and the magic, but a thin stream of light followed after her retreating hand.
“Abyss!” she hissed in ...
2025-03-19 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
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I'm super excited to announce my new series that started today: Damsels of Distress!
I'd absolutely love if you'd come pick it up today and give it a read.
Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'd LOVE 5 star reviews as a gift from everyone. 🎁
Audio: https://geni.us/RedXWolf_Audio
ebook: https://geni.us/RedXWolf
2025-03-18 18:35:33 +0000 UTC
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Everyone in the crew was on high alert as they approached the checkpoint between the artisan and noble district. Though they were all wearing clothes any citizen would’ve deemed perfectly acceptable, they were looked at with critical eyes as they strode closer to the disciplined formation of guards. Goldie's eyes lingered on the spears held confidently, leather-wrapped hilts in easy reach, and stress evident in their faces.
“Everyone be as calm as possible; these guys are on edg...
2025-03-17 11:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Goldie sat at her usual spot around the rickety table early the next morning as Chay laid out the details of their heist. Everyone was tense, focused, and entirely absorbed in the elaborate plan he was laying out. “The shipment of potions should then be secured in the vault directly in the center of the high-end warehouse. Now, if we come at it through the noble district, that should cut down on the number of eyes pointed in our direction. Who has questions?”
“Just o...
2025-03-14 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
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