elizabeth_oswald

Chapter One hundred seventy

“Nucai!” Qiangde roared as he entered the cavern where the Tree grew. The kobolds bearing him lowered the palanquin reverently, but Qiangde still hissed in pain as all of his broken bones were jarred again. He had managed to begin the mending process, but there was too much damage, and it was far too extensive to heal immediately. Besides, his body was less important than his core, and he could feel that straining beneath the demands he’d made of it.

The side of the Tree shuddere...

Chapter One hundred sixty-nine

Qiangde delicately nibbled the Sacred Plum held in his claw. He wished the fruit weren’t so rare, or so small, but he savored the rich, complex taste of the sweet juice as it coated his tongue. Nothing mortal ever tasted so good, and the flush of golden ki that filled him as he ate it far outstripped its actual size.

Overhead, one of his court flew lazily, dipping a pale wing into one of the sparse clouds and trailing a stream of water vapor behind the tip as it emerged. The wind was ...

Chapter One hundred sixty-eight

The only people paying any attention to the puppy were Kaz and Lianhua, and they stared at her. “What dragon?” Kaz asked.

She shrugged and took another bite of the thick mushroom. As she swallowed it, she glanced toward her sister, who was talking to Avli and looked much more relaxed now that the fate of her tribe had been decided. The warriors who had been hovering near the Magmablades in case they made any attempt to escape had joined the rest of their cohort, and both Sika and Ru...

Chapter One hundred sixty-seven

Kaz saw Lianhua’s eyes widen, and he offered her a small smile, hoping to reassure her. He didn’t want to directly contradict Idla when she seemed to be softening slightly, so he just turned toward the descending set of stairs.

“How much farther is it?” he asked noncommittally.

Idla huffed softly, almost a sigh, and said, “Three more levels, then we switch to the final staircase. There are other ways to get there, but that’s the most direct.”

Kaz nodded, and lo...

Chapter One hundred sixty-six

Idla was pacing back and forth, tail twitching angrily, as Kaz emerged from the hut. Everyone else stood in small groups, separated by tribe, except for the four miserable-looking Magmablades, who were surrounded by Goldblade guards.

Trailed by Lianhua and Raff, Kaz walked directly over and stopped in front of Idla, forcing her to stop midstride. The warrior next to her bridled at the insult, but Kaz ignored him. Idla was tall for a kobold, but Kaz was slightly taller, and he drew himse...

Results of the contest!

I just realized I forgot to share the winners of the fanart contest with you! I loved them all, but the winner was BlueRains, with this hand-drawn image of Li getting ready to chomp a red crystal.

Runners up were these two AI-generated images, both by seqgacjk

2024-04-30 21:07:34 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter One hundred sixty-five

When Kaz arrived at Jul’s hut, he found Raff, the chiefs, and their guards waiting for him. Raff gave him a helpless shrug, and Kaz gave him a little yip in return. He knew it was unlikely that he would be able to escape for long, which was why he’d gone to find the Magmablades first.

As he approached, Idla glared at him, but it was less angry than he would have expected. Perhaps that was explained by the presence of Dett, who almost seemed to glow as he stood just ahead of Avli, i...

Chapter One hundred sixty-four

Dat had indeed ‘cleaned up’ his brother, whose fur had been ragged and dull after his long imprisonment. Someone had washed and trimmed Dett’s fur and claws, leaving the fur short but smooth, while all of his claws were a uniform length, and slightly glossy. Fur which had seemed light brown in the mines was now revealed to be a deep gold instead, a darker shade of his mother’s bright fur.

Everyone except for Kaz and Berin stared for one long, uncomprehending moment, and then Idl...

Chapter One hundred sixty-three

For one terrible moment, Kaz stared down into those gentle blue eyes, and then Avli murmured, “Dett?” and reached up as if she would touch his cheek. Instantly, Li’s head shot forward, and sharp teeth latched onto Avli’s finger, drawing blood. Avli yelped, then sat up sharply, which brought her forehead into sudden contact with Kaz’s muzzle.

With a yip, Kaz pulled away, clutching at his tender nose. The impact was hard, but certainly not enough to do real damage to him, so he ...

Chapter One hundred sixty-two

The large meeting hut in the center of the Goldcoat den was packed. Raff was so large that he had to be sent out, though Chi Yincang refused to go outside so long as Lianhua remained inside. Lianhua, for her part, was absolutely determined to stay as long as Kaz did, and Kaz couldn’t leave, no matter how much he wanted to.

Besides Kaz and the two humans, there were fourteen other kobolds, all shifting uneasily and casting suspicious or angry glances at each other. Idla stood on one si...

Chapter One hundred sixty-one

“-az!” Lianhua’s insistent voice pulled Kaz from his stupor. He blinked open his eyes, frowning against the bright light of the orb hanging just beyond his nose.

“What happened?” he muttered, batting at the ball of light. As if it was a solid thing, rather than made of intangible power, it moved, and he heard Lianhua’s breath hiss in between her teeth just before the light went out.

“That’s what we’d like to know,” she told him. Her pale face came into view, ey...

Sick day

I'm sorry, everyone, but I feel pretty rotten today, and everything I write is gibberish. I'm going to get some rest, and try again, but there probably won't be a chapter today. 😞

Chapter One hundred sixty

The heat was terrible, but not painful. In fact, Kaz felt no pain at all, which was a great relief. But Ghazt had asked this strange being to heal Kaz, so if Kaz was all better, then why wasn’t he being sent back to his father?

He spent some interminable time in the covered bowl, feeling the temperature rise to something far beyond what he should be able to stand. He had stepped into the fire once, when he was very little, and it was only thanks to his mother’s treatment that the sc...

Chapter One hundred fifty-nine

Kaz jogged along behind his father, watching the broad, blue-furred back. They were hunting fuergar today, but Kaz wasn’t frightened. He was with Ghazt, and nothing in the world could defeat his father.

Ahead, Ghazt froze, and Kaz did the same, letting his hands touch the ground as he prepared to move. Only little puppies, much younger than Kaz, still walked on all fours, but Ghazt had assured him that that didn’t matter. Whatever kept him alive was what he should do, ...

Chapter One hundred fifty-eight

Instead of forty angry yellow-furred kobolds, however, Kaz instead saw four, one of whom had fur as red as Vega’s. Ija looked fearful but determined as she jogged between two huts, trailed by a very unhappy-looking Qhurg. Qhurg’s hackles were raised, but his weapon was in its sheath at his belt, and he held three very old, tattered-looking books.

Behind Qhurg was Rudu, Vega’s mate, and Kyla. Rudu’s ears were down, but his tail was up, the very picture of conflicted emotions. Kyl...

Chapter One hundred fifty-seven

Silence fell as the kobolds gathered there took in what Idla had said, and the rift in the Magmablades began to heal as the stolen Woodblades shifted back toward the Magmablades they had grown up with. No matter how angry and confused they might be about the revelations, these were the kobolds they had considered their friends and family until a few short minutes ago. As Idla suggested, they wouldn’t stand idly by while the Magmablades were slaughtered.

“And how long have the Goldbl...

Chapter One hundred fifty-six

The first to become aware of his surroundings was a large bluish-green male a few rows down from Kaz. He rolled to his side, struggling to stand, as a low growl rumbled from his throat. Not far away, another male groaned, and across the gap between the groups, a female curled up, clutching her belly. Kaz kept an eye on her, noting the way her core was spinning. He wasn’t sure if she was really sick, or if she was readying herself for an attack.

Kaz let out a loud bark, alerting the ot...

Chapter One hundred fifty-five

Kaz and Raff both stared at her, and even Li swooped down a little closer, though she didn’t land on Kaz’s shoulder. Lianhua continued grinning with a kind of wild glee as she stood, clutching the book tightly. Instead of explaining, however, she handed the book to Kaz with clear reluctance, then took out the next book on the shelf, opening it to the first page. Book after book she removed, then slid back into place with reverent hands, becoming more careful as the books grew older. Final...

Chapter One hundred fifty-four

Lianhua wanted all the books. She lamented that she couldn’t fit them all in her pouch, and then she struggled with her conscience, which told her that these were the treasures of another people, and she couldn’t take them even if they would fit. Still, she fidgeted from foot to foot in front of the open-sided hut, her gaze flickering between the shelves and the male standing in front of her.

“Two hours?” she asked, glancing around at the rows of bodies the Goldblades a...

Chapter One hundred fifty-three

Before anyone else could react, Kaz scooped up the core. It felt hot in his too-cold hand, and for a moment, the urge to eat it was nearly overwhelming. At the thought, however, a wave of bile rose up, pushing against the roof of his mouth and forestalling any attempt to give in to the desire.

Kaz tossed the core, and dozens of pairs of eyes watched it as it soared through the air, landing neatly in Lianhua’s cupped palm. She blinked down at it, bemused, until Kaz said roughly, “Put...

Chapter One hundred fifty-two

Through Li’s eyes, Kaz watched as Lianhua ran past the two Magmablade warriors who had been guarding the tunnel above. One was slumped against the wall, while the other sprawled in the middle of the passage. Neither moved as the group passed, but Kaz couldn’t see what had brought them down, either. He suspected Chi Yincang might have had something to do with their silent collapse.

Not long after, they reached the male and female pair who waited just before the entrance to the stairs...

Chapter One hundred fifty-one

“Kaz?” Ija asked, and Kaz blinked open his eyes. He had asked for a little time to think about the new information she’d given him, and she allowed it. He had been sitting with his back against the wall, eyes closed, for the last ten minutes, and his cousin looked both concerned and irritated as she called to him.

Motioning behind her, she said, “Qhurg needs to fill me on what happened in the den while I was gone.”

Kaz shifted his focus, though it was difficult with Li t...

Chapter One hundred fifty

Li didn’t like the Plan. She understood it, understood that her kobold needed to do it this way, but she Did Not Like It. Things that she didn’t like made Li itch, and the spot between her shoulder blades that she could never quite reach was practically burning with the need to find something that could scratch it.

But it wasn’t time. She needed to stay still and silent until Kaz gave the word, or something else happened that would set the next step in motion. It was hard to ignor...

Chapter One hundred forty-nine

The stairs weren’t long, especially compared to those he had climbed in the mid-levels, and he began hearing the sounds of a thriving den about halfway down. A quick glance showed that none of the other kobolds had perked up their ears yet, so he forced his to remain still as well, though he very much wanted to twist and track the noise.

It wasn’t much longer before a particularly loud yelp echoed up to them, and Ija twitched at the sound. She looked back at one of the males and mur...

Chapter One hundred forty-eight

Straightening, Vega glanced from the males holding Kaz to her elder daughter. “Do it,” she snapped, and Ija nodded. Kyla looked from her sister to Kaz, and her small fists clenched at her sides before she turned and hurried over to her father’s side. That male set his hand gently on the puppy’s head, and she leaned into him as they both turned and walked away.

Ija stepped in front of Kaz, and her core spun, throwing out ki in waves. It almost seemed to breathe, expanding and con...

Fanart/fic contest?

You guys are a different group from my Royal Road readers, but I wanted to let you know I'm running a contest for them, and you're more than welcome to join in if you'd like. Now, the easiest prize for me to offer them is more chapters, but you already have All the Chapters (though if you're at the $1 tier, I could catch you up to the other tiers at the time). The main prize is (yes, I know) one of my hand-crafted plushies. Even if they're not canon, I like making them, and if you'd be intere...

Chapter One hundred forty-seven

Seeing that smile, Kaz felt a chill run down his spine, lifting his fur slightly. In that moment, he was absolutely, undeniably certain that his aunt knew exactly who he was, and she was delighted to see him, but not for any reason he would like.

Driven by an impulse, Kaz turned to Lianhua. She was still chatting with Idla, but the Goldblade chief was distracted, looking around as if searching for someone or something. Her daughter was probably taking longer than she was comfortable wit...

Chapter One hundred forty-six

But when Kibbiz led them away, Kaz quickly realized that she was taking them somewhere other than where Berin had told them they would be eating. Still, the den was filled with the smell of food, and the kobolds around them looked excited, rather than tense, so Kaz didn’t worry too much.

They left the main sleeping cavern through a large, arching tunnel that they hadn’t been down before. It was short, no more than twenty feet, and Kaz saw evidence that chisels and pickaxes had been ...

Chapter One hundred forty-five

It took a little while for Berin to get everyone sorted out, but Kaz noticed the male she’d been speaking to vanished almost immediately. The rest of them were left standing until Kibbiz arrived from the den to lead their small group to the water cavern.

It was, indeed, astonishing. Kaz had seen many small trickles of water, and droplets often fell from the ends of growing stalactites, but here, clear water shot from a hole in the wall. Kaz was actually able to walk under the...

Chapter One hundred forty-four

Someone else must have seen the pink pup when she started running, because a moment later several yelps sounded, and warriors appeared from all around. They must have been lurking nearby, watching the ‘visitors’ unobtrusively, probably thoroughly bored by the human’s lack of activity. Given something to do, they sprang into action, and six males nearly tripped over each other diving through the tunnel opening after the pup.

Kaz, too, was drawn to the chase, and found his paws movi...