Hey all! Today I added 2,586 words to my project, bringing my total word count to 23,086! Almost halfway there!
They eventually came to a set of nondescript doors a few rooms down from Jin Xia’s own chambers. Jin Xia opened them, introducing Wei Xiang to his rooms. The furniture and linens were simple in design but luxurious in material, built to be applicable to any occupant. The sitting area matched the door’s level and was occupied by a table for taking meal...
2022-11-14 03:25:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
Due to social obligations I was not able to write much more than 300 words yesterday, but today I added 2,137 words, bringing my total to 20,500!
The former king motioned for her to follow, and so she did, General Wukong and Wei Xiang following close behind. She was led further into the palace, past grand halls with painted ceilings and decorative screen doors. Servants and guards whispered as she passed them by, their eyes following her. She wondered if they knew ...
2022-11-13 03:11:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I wrote 1,867 words, bringing my current total to 18,096!
Jin Xia nodded. This was where the real negotiations began. “I can offer you a significant level of autonomy within your own lands when it comes to policies that directly affect your people. I can offer you economic and scholarly recourses to raise your nation up from a mere farmer’s kingdom. I have seen the poor of your city, Wei Jun, and you clearly are not as rich as you like to make yourself ou...
2022-11-11 03:45:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 1,726 words to my project, bringing the total word count to 16,229!
“Bring me Prince Wei Xiang,” she ordered, not bothering to look at the aide.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
She did not have to wait long, looking over her shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps to see two soldiers and the aide coming up the hill with Wei Xiang in tow. He looked as miserable as Jin Xia felt, his hair dirty and disheveled and his eyes burdened with h...
2022-11-10 04:05:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added exactly 1500 words to my project, bringing the total word count to 14,503!
Wei Xiang's wrists were tied together with rope, his arms forced to wrap around the pole at the center of the tent. He glared at her as she entered, a scowl marring his otherwise handsome face. The arrow was still lodged in his shoulder, and it was only now that Jin Xia realized she'd gotten him clean through.
"Did no one send for a medic?" she asked. The answer seemed obvious, but ...
2022-11-09 04:17:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 2,156 words to my project, bringing my total to 13,003!
Before Jin Xia could fully process An Cheng’s cry, she found herself falling to the dirt, catching herself on her forearms just before her head made contact with the ground. She turned, scrambling up onto her knees as she took in the sight of An Cheng’s collapsed form. An arrow protruded from her side, piercing her flesh right below the ribs. Red was already staining her peach-colored robes a...
2022-11-08 02:35:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 1,017 words to my project, bringing the total word count to 10,847!
To a person who grew up surrounded by walls, the open, rolling plains of the southern nation could feel surreal, dreamlike even. Never in Jin Xia’s life had she seen so much of the horizon. Never had she felt winds so strong she feared they might knock her off her feet. The untamed green of the grass was such a contrast to the intricately designed multicolored displays, but Jin Xia would argue...
2022-11-07 03:43:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 1,669 (nice) words to my project, bringing the current total to 9,830!
But the emperor was not done. “To my children, I give a gift. A boon to aide them in their conquest.”
He waved his hand, and – as if by magic – the curtains fell. The sight they hid forced a sharp gasp from Jin Xia, loud enough to pull a confused glance from Qui Ling.
Two massive armies, many thousands of men strong, stood shoulder to shoulder before ...
2022-11-06 03:44:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added a whopping 3,021 words to my project, bringing the total word count to 8,161! We've got an extra long best bit today :)
“Greetings, my children,” the emperor greeted, his tone amicable. “It does one’s heart good to see how well you both have grown. Stand, and let me see you properly.”
“The Imperial Princess, Jin Xia, greets her father, the venerable Emperor Wu Zhi,” Jin Xia said as she straightened her back, smiling winn...
2022-11-05 00:23:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 1,754 words to my project, bringing the total word count to 5,138!
“What are you doing here?”
Jin Xia turned slowly, face schooled into a politely neutral expression. Qui Ling didn’t even attempt to hide his contempt as he approached with his entourage of servants and bodyguards. His coterie dwarfed Jin Xia’s in size, and really was unnecessary for simply walking about the palace grounds.
Jin Xia dipped a polite bow, her voice cool...
2022-11-04 02:56:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 1660 words, bringing my total word count to 3,386!
She stepped out onto the covered walkway, inhaling deeply. The spring breeze pulled petals from blooming trees and made them dance in the air. Pink and orange hibiscus flowers bloomed in the heavily curated gardens that made up the Pearl Palace’s outdoor spaces. The white and gold scales of koi fish glimmered in the light just beneath the water’s surface. Any visitor would call Jin Xia’s home beautiful, an...
2022-11-03 01:17:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
It's that time again! Nanowrimo babyyyyy! I started off strong today by making it to 1,726 words! Here's the best bit!
Heavy, humid air filled the room, fighting for space with pained screams. Open windows beg for the relief of a cool evening breeze in exchange for the haunting pain of the woman within. The halls of the palace were empty at this hour, but the concubine’s bedchamber had never been more full. Gentle, insistent voices called for her to push, to breathe, to end...
2022-11-02 01:53:36 +0000 UTC
View Post
There were times when Ren wished she’d picked a class with a bit of range to it. As a monk, she basically had two options: punch something or kick something. True, she had her monk abilities, but those still required her to get up in someone’s face to hurt them.
Which, in the end, was why she was stuck down in the middle of the square, facing down a dozen Granato knights who all wanted to cut her down and get to the cathedral.
But she wasn’t about to let that happen.
T...
2022-10-15 19:05:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
Alfre woke just before dawn. Her sleep had been restless, even with Beira’s warmth at her side. There was so much riding on what happened next. They’d received word in the middle of the night that Ren and the others had successfully taken the Cathedral. They’d already successfully fought off one patrol of guards. Ren insisted they could fight off as many as needed.
Alfre hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
She stood atop Sandfur’s Den, watching as the camp came to life, the ...
2022-09-05 21:17:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
The players from Diamond arrived the next evening, and were quickly informed of the confrontation between the Commander and the Goddess of Light. Alfre was followed around camp by looks of awe and barely concealed whispers. Not that she minded too terribly. At least these whispers weren’t particularly nasty. Though they had needed to break up a few fights between clerics. Some who’d chosen Orli as their patron upon character creation were being harassed by other clerics. Alfre and the oth...
2022-08-20 21:18:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Four days at sea – and by extension four days in extremely close quarters with three thousand other people – was difficult for anyone. Alfre found little privacy aboard the ship, even when she went desperately seeking it out and clambered down into the small spaces of the engine room. She could never stay there long, though. It was claustrophobic down there in a way that she didn’t understand how anyone could stand. The top deck was fine and dandy for privacy depending on the time of da...
2022-06-25 15:32:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
Alessio arrived just as the players received word that Clover and Diamond had already launched their invasion fleet. They were to meet on the same shore where they’d evacuated the refugees, the irony of the plan not lost on Alfre. It would take players from Diamond the longest to get there, Clover the quickest. Which left Alfre and her army just enough time to load the boats and launch without worrying about being the last to arrive. Maldrom had set aside a boat exclusively for the Saphir a...
2022-06-11 14:49:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
Alfre awoke with a stiff neck and very warm legs. Her eyes blinked sluggishly against the bright light that filtered in through the high windows of the lounge. She took in her situation carefully. She was leaning against Abital, who has drifted off into slumber sometime after her, because she distinctly remembered him being awake when she fell asleep. Canus was still curled up on her legs, which explained why they were so warm. When did he fall asleep? Did gods even really need sleep? Such we...
2022-04-02 14:08:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
She brought down her tray of empty plates not long after, having sent off the letter with a messenger bird the moment she’d finished it. She found Abital and Canus sitting awake in the lounge, despite the late hour having chased the others off to bed. Upon seeing them, a question came to mind.
“Is it really alright for the two of you to be interfering so much in the world?” she asked, setting her dishes in the sink to wash later. “You’ve not given any indication that you aren...
2022-02-19 16:53:43 +0000 UTC
View Post
The meeting broke soon after that, the delegations leaving to return to their boats. They had armies to build, after all, and they had no time to waste.
“How are we doing this?” Atticus inquired, the guild council wandering down the main thoroughfare of the city. “We need an army, but how are we going to get one?”
“Volunteers, I hope,” June said. “I feel uneasy about the idea of a draft.”
“No draft,” Alfre agreed. “Though I doubt we’d need one. Our pe...
2022-02-05 16:24:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
They came, finally, about a week after agreeing to meet in Spade. They came by boat, smaller ones that those sent to rescue the players on Ahmar, but impressive ones none the less. Hadi’s friends led the way, the samurai Makoto with the delegation from Diamond, and Einmora with the delegation from Clover. Each had brought half a dozen delegates, all of them high leveled and well known among the more experienced players.
“Welcome, all of you,” Alfre greeted them at the dock. “Tha...
2022-01-22 15:23:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
Alfre waited impatiently for word to arrive back from Diamond and Clover. While ships could travel the seas with relative ease now that the engines had been designed and the building process had been improved, it still took at least a week for messages to get sent across the seas. Alfre still wasn’t sure how Ran and the Crystal Moon Kingdom were sending messages – something to do with summons and teleportation or whatever. It was all heavily rooted in game mechanics that Alfre had no know...
2021-12-11 20:58:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I managed to complete the Nanowrimo Challenge by reaching 50,036 words. However, Seek the Oasis is not finished, and I will continue to post word count updates and small snippets until the draft is completed. Thank you for your support!
Massive and fish-like in shape, the creature crashed down atop the bridge in front of them. Shiny, leathery skin wetly glistened in the firelight as it's gaping, circular maw willed with concentric rings of teeth gnashed at them. Wide ey...
2021-12-01 04:27:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
Yesterday I added 1157 words to Seek the Oasis, bringing my total word count to 46,747!
“I hope you do not mind the modification,” Leonidas said. “This will simply be more convenient. I do not always have hands with which to carry a shield, after all.”
The smith gaped for a moment before throwing his hands up in the air. “Nope! Nope, that’s fine! Just use magic to turn a shield into some bracers. It’s not like that would take me hours, if not days. Nope, d...
2021-11-29 14:21:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Apologies for missing the past couple of days, but today I added 1614 words to Seek the Oasis, bringing the total word count to 45,590.
Aysel found herself beneath the red water, the heat of the fires on the surface warming her back as she stared down at the broken temple below. Unlike her dreams before, she could breath. And this time, instead of a faceless statue, a woman stared up at her. Cold, icy blue eyes watched her intently, dark hair floating eerily in the surroundin...
2021-11-28 03:54:36 +0000 UTC
View Post
These past few days I added 4103 to Seek the Oasis, bringing my total word count to 40,197!
“I don’t know,” Ayfa said with a shrug. “Kind of like how you wouldn’t know you have a reflection if you’ve never seen a mirror. If you didn’t think it was possible, you wouldn’t try, right?”
Aysel couldn’t stop the incredulous look that settled on her face. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“Well, how does it work then?”
“Well…I...
2021-11-25 03:07:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 2090 words to Seek the Oasis, bringing my total word count to 36,094!
That night, they took respite at an inn. It was larger than the one in the city, and far more crowded. Creatures of seemingly every free-roaming race gathered around round, wooden tables on the main floor, eating and drinking to their heart's content.
"How many rooms can I getcha?" the dwarven innkeeper asked, stroking her intricately braided beard with one hand.
"However many need...
2021-11-23 03:41:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
This weekend I added 3004 words to Seek the Oasis, bringing my total word count to 34,004.
She slowed as she approached the gate’s mountain, a wave of exhaustion taking her as the past four days of travel hit her all at once without the magical energy to sustain her. Her limbs felt heavy and stiff, just flexing her hands took a herculean effort. Sonnak was not much better, panting heavily. She took a moment to catch their breaths, but only a moment.
The climb felt ard...
2021-11-22 03:34:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 2172 words to Seek the Oasis, bringing my total word count to 31,000!
The crowds did not bother her in the same way they did the first time they stepped into the city, likely because this time they knew where they were going. They followed the same path as before away from the busy city center. They relished in the way the noise faded as they made their way to calmer, quainter lanes.
They froze, horror stealing away their joy, when they saw the looks of ex...
2021-11-20 05:01:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
Today I added 1800 words to Seek the Oasis, bringing my total word count to 28,828!
She stabbed at an oncoming tentacle with her spear, piercing the flesh. The blood that escaped from the wound with a thick, inky black, unlike any blood she’d ever seen. Whatever this creature was, it was not of this world.
That realization was all the distraction the creature needed to strike her once more. This time, its tentacle slammed into her back, sending her rocketing through t...
2021-11-19 03:36:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
