The Space Rodeo

License to Cultivate Bk 2 Ch 5

Chang-li watched as Young Master Feng strode into the center of the garden. He spoke loudly enough to attract everyone's attention. "My fellow cultivators," he bellowed. "Honorable Gem Court, my Grand Master has given me permission to let you be present for this."

Chang-li stood apart from Min as the crowd turned interestedly to watch. Across the way, he saw Joshi, close beside Princess Hiroko. They made a powerful-looking couple. Joshi was dressed in dark robes, cut like a cultivator's...

Space Rodeo Bk 5 Ch 3

It was bad enough to be coming in days behind the rest of my team, for the most important reality engine exploit of the past 200 cycles, but now I had to stop and pick up the boss's granddaughter on the way. I stewed.

My hired liner slid into dock at Deneb Transit Station 6, a ring-shaped hub station. Misfits Guild had hired me the passage on one of the later arriving vessels heading to the rogue world exploit. Since the transit cube I rented had space for four, I'd be picking up the la...

License to Cultivate Bk 2 Ch 4

Chang-li was relieved to see Jiya approaching him. He was out of place at this party, his brand-new grey robes not blending in nearly as well as he had hoped. Most of the servants wore brown. The cultivators were in their sect patterns, and the nobles, of course, wore white with stripes. Only Cultivation Master Bao was wearing grey, and Chang-li didn't want any more of his attention.

Jiya led him off under a stooping willow. The branches offered them a little privacy, though anyo...

Space Rodeo Bk5 Ch 2

I stood on the bridge of the Ad Astra as she came through the transfer portal. Grandpa was in command, his tight face showing no sign of what he might be thinking at this time. The bridge crew were all Misfits Guild members, and civilians. But as the Ad Astra had been leased to the Earth Expeditionary Force to support this exploit, my grandpa — now Lieutenant General Twofeather — was in command.

I would be heading up most of the exploit strat...

License to Cultivate Bk 2 Ch 3

Joshi had been given opulent quarters above one of the taverns. To his east were the cultivation offices and army structures, and just to the west, the cluster of buildings taken by the sects. Each of the three major sects represented here at this tower cull had leased a headquarters compound from the officials in charge of the camp, giving their students and disciples a place to stay, lodging and offices for their functionaries, private practice grounds, and training facilities. Sever...

Space Rodeo Bk 5 Ch 1

Welcome to Book 5! This will be the final volume of the Not My First (Space) Rodeo series, and I can't wait to share it with you.

Riko Den Haag was already nervous. This was supposed to be a simple snatch and grab before the exploit was opened. Easy money. But he couldn’t help feeling worried.

They had gotten in past the guardians easily enough. Their stolen keys let them slip past the security net deployed by the survey crew which was scanning the planet...

License to Cultivate Bk 2 Ch 2

No sooner had they arrived back at the scribe house than the other junior scribes surrounded Chang-li. "I didn't know you had a license to cultivate," Scribe Jun accused him.

"Were you really fighting that monster?" Tu asked.

"I could barely stand on my own feet, and I was a hundred spans away," Jun added.

"Something about you has changed," Scribe Deng commented, looking Chang-li over. "You really have progressed, haven't you?"

Inspector Dah swept in behi...

Space Rodeo Bk 4.5 Ch 13

Last Episode! Next week we are starting Space Rodeo Book 5, and I can't wait to delve deep into the rogue reality engine and pillage its secrets.

I visited the Duck Brotherhood vendor, where I found what I had been looking for. Then I set up at an enchanting station.

I drank one of my potions to buff my enchanting effectiveness. Duckling and I had managed to find a total of ten in all our shopping. Next, I enchanted two rings and a...

License to Cultivate Bk 2 Ch 1

How is it Book 2 already? Hope you're excited. I know I am!

"This inquiry will determine the causes, blame, and guilt for the recent incident inside Heavenly Tower 3525 – the Golden Moon Broken Tower," Inquisitor Zhan Sho declared. Chang-li knelt at the far left back corner of the room lined up with the other scribes, Inspector Dah at one end. They had been summoned to the Cultivation Master's offices for this hearing, but to Chang-li's deepening worry, it was...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 12

Duckling and I fast-traveled back to Quackitude, where I entered Shad's mansion and raided its stores. He'd done a lot better for himself than I had. I collected everything, sorting it into "keep" and "sell." Then we visited every vendor in town. This game had that annoying setup where vendor gold was capped and you could only sell so much to each vendor. Meanwhile, every time we visited, I looked at their inventories. If I liked what I saw, I had Duckling sneak up behind them an...

License to Cultivate Bonus - Hiroko

This is the character sketch I wrote while creating the character of Hiroko. It may not exactly match the worldbuilding I've developed since, but it should give you a look at who the princess really is.

Princess Hiroko hiked up her indigo skirts and disappeared as quickly as she could around the garden path. She had only a few minutes before the nanny picked up from her other charges. If Hiroko was out of sight by then, she might be able to conceal herself in the...

License to Cultivate Ch 41

Joshi had not meant to lead the bird straight into a bunch of people. Why were there so many here? And not even all were cultivators.

He'd been running for his life. The roc and its babies chasing him through the jungle.  He hoped he could give it a slip, but every time he veered off left or right one of the young was there forcing him forward.

He had just recognized the place where he was as near the breach in the tower wall, when he stumbled and fell. He expected the roc to...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 11

Before I reached White Plume, I jogged east a little ways until I found the Rebel encampment. I approached the camp in Sneak. The guards were much higher level than me and could have seen right through me, but since I was a Rebel and on their side, they didn't break my concealment. The camp was nearly bursting at the seams with orcs. Rok'gar's father, Mak'gar, was assembling his troops, at least a couple dozen. Rok'gar was busy outfitting them with gear and they were preparing for war....

License to Cultivate Ch 40

Hiroko was in the middle of a sentence when she felt the lux patterns shift. She broke off. "Is everything alright, my lady?" Min asked, frowning at her.

"Do you feel..." Hiroko paused as a terrifying screech rent the air. Li Jen leapt up from where he had been conversing with the Dowager Pearl. Young Master Feng shouted for his disciples.

"What's wrong?" Min asked. "What's happened?"

"Great ones, please," Li Jen said, beckoning to them. "Please, remain calm." He turned to F...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 10

"Oh, hey, Colin. I didn't realize you'd caught up with me. How's your exploit going?" Shad's calm voice, coming from what was clearly a black-clad masked vigilante, caught me off guard. I spluttered and hung on to the carriage seat as we raced away from the prison.

"My quest pop-up alerted me there was a shady type in the guards' keeping that I might be able to rescue," Shad continued. "What affiliation are you? Imperial Guard? The Goose Coup?"

"Uh, no," I said, still tongue-tied....

License to Cultivate Ch 39

Chang-li rejoined the group. He and Brother Stone said nothing about their fight. Instead, he waited as Li Jiya and her acolytes went out, found a beast similar to the one he and Brother Stone had fought, and dragged it back for the delight of the young nobles. Chang-li watched hungrily as the nobles wasted most of the lux. Their cycling technique was terrible, and they couldn't absorb even a fraction of what the tower beast offered.

Bringing them into the third floor was like feeding a...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 9

As I re-entered Driftwood to turn in my coal delivery quest, I came up short at an odd sight. A small duck, dressed in rags, with its name tag reading "Ragamuffin," blatantly pickpocketed a man shopping at one of the booths off of the main road.

The guards spotted it immediately and moved in. The man was indignant, but the guards laughed it off.

"Ha ha ha ha, a little scamp. We'll take care of this." They collared the duckling and dragged him off onto a side street. I moved...

License to Cultivate Ch 38

The difficulty with cultivating in a large party quickly became apparent. First, Chang-li had official scribing duties. Li Jiya insisted he record their encounter with the tortoise. One of her acolytes had made his third condensation from the lux gathered, and Chang-li had to note down his name, sect rank, and currently mastered chords.

They had reached Jiya's chosen destination, a pleasant grove of tall trees whose bark smelled of cinnamon, their spreading branches sheltering a ...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 8

Just FYI, I'm chugging along getting Space Rodeo 5 underway during this little intermission, and it's shaping up to be really, really awesome. We're going deep with this one. Elf court wars. Protoss hell. What REALLY were the Progenitors up to. Can't wait to share.

But back to the ducking story!

The expression on the Duck Brotherhood's faces when I turned in the lich goose mantle was spectacular. Their bills gaped open as the title ...

License to Cultivate Ch 7

Joshi considered his situation. The five rogue cultivators had given him only a single name each, and he had given them his. They had an uneasy détente. The rogues harvested the rest of his slain beasts and roasted them while Joshi sat under a tree cultivating. He watched them through slitted eyes. He didn't want to get into a fight. There didn't seem to be any need for one. They could go their way, and he could go his.

As the men ate, they began to relax, laughing and joking amongst e...

License to Cultivate Ch 27

NOTE: Missed posting this. Terribly sorry! Thanks to Rick for pointing it out! It comes right after they leave the tower and has some important character development for Chang-li

Chang-li spent the night in the forest, very alone and uncomfortable. He had forgotten to get his cloak back from Hiroko, so he curled into a ball and shivered, sleepless through the night. He alternated periods of shivering with time seated, trying to cycle. It was...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 7

As the bandits moved towards me, I backpedaled quickly. They drew weapons, and I turned and bolted. In a flash, I was down the short corridor and into the next room, the bandits hot on my heels. As I passed the pillar, I caught sight of the pattern I’d set it for. I reached out and rotated the first pillar quickly as I turned to face my attackers.

 The first goose skeleton bandit was there, sword raised for a swing. I waited until the last moment, adjusted the left-h...

License to Cultivate Ch 36

The expedition did not leave an hour after dawn. They barely started to assemble in the outer court by the bridge. The porters and servants were there on time. Chang-li noticed uncomfortably how many of the porters were slaves, wearing collars that chewed their necks raw.

The junior scribes waited together in a knot, finishing the breakfast they had grabbed to take with them. After three-quarters of an hour, the real cultivators began to arrive. First, Jade Lotus, with its three weary-l...

License to Cultivate Bonus Content: Min

Note: This is not necessarily canonical. It's the sketch I did while designing the character, and some parts may be obsolete, but I think it's a fun look at backstory that may or may not end up coming to the main plot! Just wanted to share some fun bonus content on Patreon as a thanks to everyone who has subscribed.

Huang Shi Min listened at the rice paper door as her grandfathers argued.

"Those tax rates would... If I do not raise the taxes, I will n...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 6

Since coming into this fragment, I had been looking for things that were out of the ordinary. Some mysterious entity murdering an NPC to keep me from getting a starter quest definitely qualified.

Before I went anywhere, I took a moment to consider. This wasn't the kind of quest that would go away if I died and respawned. So, chances are, no one would be trying to hunt me down and kill me just for possessing it. However, that might change if I attempted to complete it. It was a relativel...

License to Cultivate Ch 35

Joshi had made it to the Peak of Bodily Refinement. He was remade. His body felt stronger, like he had just emerged from a cold mountain pool. His muscles taut beneath his skin. The weariness of the last few days burned away. His lux channels ran clear, all the debris and contamination having been forced from his body by the transformation that overtook him as he had reached the peak.

He formed one hand into a fist and considered his fingers, weaving together his two lux chords. A glove...

License to Cultivate Ch 34

Chang-li had decided to get himself and Brother Stone into the same cultivating party. That would make it easier for him to ensure Stone's license held up to scrutiny. There were a number of licensed cultivators of the first stage around the camp who were not affiliated with any sect. That was a fairly common occurrence. By attending enough tower culls, a hardworking man or woman with a good cycling pattern could work up to Bodily Refinement, assuming they managed to procure a license like th...

Space Rodeo 4.5 Ch 5: Trapped Out

The road to Driftwood was dangerous. I had to run away from six bears, five wolves, and a vicious-looking fox. Three pairs of bandits killed me, but I was keeping a sharp eye out for all the standing stones along the way and just kept running, not even trying to put up a fight. I was wagering a lot on my interpretation of the rules being correct, but so be it. It also convinced me I was looking at a scaling system. The mobs took three or four hits to kill me, despite this clearly being...

License to Cultivate Ch 33

That night, there were two pieces of perfectly tinted parchment under Chang-li's sleeping mat. He stored them at once between two pages of his journal. Min had made it quite clear. Her price was for him to forge a license for Brother Stone as well, and get both of them into the tower. Otherwise… well, her threat had been unvoiced. She didn’t need to say it.

When his fellows had gone to bed, he got up from his mat and snuck into the supply room, where he stole sticks of the correct i...

License to Cultivate Ch 32

The sixth floor gave off more violet lux than even outside of the pyramid. It seemed to ooze from the walls, like the entire purpose of this tower had been to purify violet lux. Joshi sucked in as much as he could, using it to wash his lux channels. He didn't remove all of the contamination, but it eased his aching channels a bit. He fed as much as he could into Magen, the little lux creature lapping it up like a kitten drinking milk. Joshi straightened up. Time to find what this floor had on...