noct

10. Don't Go Anywhere!

Covered in sweat, Hui opened his eyes and gasped a breath. He sat up. All alone. The room sat as empty as it had before.

No, not quite. At the foot of the bed, a bowl sat on the ground. Two blue stripes, the familiar pattern of the Starbound Peak cafeteria’s earthware, wound around its rim, and a spoon hooked over its edge. Inside it, a small brown dish laid, stained with the remnants of a putrid-looking black liquid.

Hui stood and stretched. Energy rushed insi...

9. Fever Dreams

“So late, little brother Hui?” Mei trilled playfully, backing out the door with a large plate in her hands. “Today, I managed to sneak some extra chicke—Little brother Hui!” Startled, she dropped the plate.

Hui lunged and caught the plate. He smiled up at her. “Elder sister Mei, I got a little beat up today.”

“A little? I thought you were a ghoul at first glance! Look at you, all coated in blood.” She tutted and shook her head. “Here, sit down, sit down. Eat. L...

8. Revenge

“What does Lao Gongren want from me?” Chang Bolin asked, following his henchman into the woods.

“I don’t know, but he said it was important,” the henchman replied stiffly.

“Are you alright? You look pale,” Chang Bolin replied.

The henchman mopped his face. “I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s late, that’s all.”

Chang Bolin peered at him for a second, then shrugged, dismissing him. “I bet he’s come to tell me there’s a mistake, and I was chosen afte...

7. A Mess (Hall)

He pushed open the door of the mess hall. A familiar face scowled at him. The younger child from the sheet, Chang Bolin, and the prodigy of their group of entrants. At the peak of Foundation Establishment despite being the youngest of their group, he was a favorite to progress to the inner sect, acknowledged as a genius by all his fellow disciples. He’d already turned down several long-term positions as a servant in the inner sect, hoping to hold out and jump straight to true inner sect dis...

6. Ten Years Later

With the first light of dawn, Hui jogged down from the peak, a bucket of water slung over each shoulder. After ten years of practice, the buckets hung perfectly balanced. Not a drop of water spilled as he ran. Strong and lean, he no longer had chubby, childish fingers or fat cheeks, but a slender body and narrow chin. Black hair with a healthy, bluish sheen to it hung down his back, tied into a loose ponytail. He wore sky blue robes in his own style, neither the white robes of the inner sect ...

5. One Day, Two Peaks

The first rays of dawn shone through the crack in the door. Gentle golden light played over the wall, the barren bed, then the small form huddled beneath it, legs hugged to his chest, small head tipped against his knees, half-sagged down the wall.

Gold light struck Hui’s face. He shook his head and sat up, eyes half open. Where… where am I…?

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Striking his head on the bottom of the bed, he jolted back, clutching his skull. “Owww.” 2021-10-11 22:28:57 +0000 UTC View Post

4. Master, Why Me?

Riding in his new master’s arms, Hui gripped tight to the man’s robes. Unlike on the sheet, the wind whipped past, slamming into his little body. He huddled close, squeezing his eyes shut against the rush. Wu sped up again, whipping the air from Hui’s body and forcing Hui back against his arm. Hui held on tighter, struggling to draw breath. “M—master!”

Wu slowed. Hui gasped and sucked at the air, grateful. Catching his breath, he wiped his mouth, then peered up at Wu, so muc...

3. Descent of an Unrivaled Genius

The sheet circled around and descended, not toward any of the peaks, but beneath them. Lower than the peaks, the main body of the mountain descended toward the valley. Barely visible in the distance even from this height, a river wound around the valley. Squinting down, Hui tried to make out his hometown, but none of the tiny settlements looked familiar from above.

The first cultivator pointed. “That’s the border of the sect’s territory. Outside of that, there are wildlands and ot...

2. New Beginning

“Hurry, hurry! We can’t be late!” The woman from the hut grabbed his hand and led him into the square. He followed after her, stumbling along on too-short legs.

Hui grinned and smoothed his robes with his free hand. Cultivators! How wonderful! I don’t have to suffer in some medieval village. Magic, power, flying on a sword through the sky… possibilities beyond my wild dreams will open up to me! As long as I get selected… He clenched his fists, then looked down at hi...

1. The End (First chapter of Master, This Poor Disciple Died Again Today)

Bam!

The blue sedan slammed into a tree. The cinderblocks sitting in the front seat flew through the front windshield and tumbled down a cliff, vanishing into the night. Engine still revved by the brick on the gas pedal, the car growled, fighting the tree.

He jogged over and upended a tank over the car. Gas rushed out and coated the car, splashing through the open driver’s side window. Throwing the gas left and right, he ensured every inch of the car was covered.

...

13. Sunrise and Breakfast

I woke up with a jolt. Something soft covered my face, thick and stinky. A rotten stench clung to my nose and mouth. I breathed in, and hair fluttered into my mouth, the ends of the hair tickling at my throat. I coughed and shoved blindly. It rolled away, then, with a grunt, rolled right back toward me.

“Argh! I’m gonna choke!” I sat upright, shoving the thing away again.

Ace glared at me and rolled over again, eyes sliding shut.

The small room reeked. Pungent human st...

12. Kids With Guns

“I want a gun like hers!” Milton demanded, eyes wide.

Piper sat up and scoffed. Scoffing hits different coming from a five-foot-nothing ball of pink, and the sight of her doing it to Milton… I almost died, stifling my laughter.

Ace looked at me, concerned.

More correctly, Piper shot me a disgusted look and went back to being haughty at Milton. “Cher, or should I say more properly, Cherished Blade 72, is an original gun from a series of one hundred weapons, handcrafte...

11. Home Base

Warm light spilled out of the Sunset’s saloon doors, wide open at this late hour to offer an embrace to all the scum of this world. I led the group of five—no, four—around to the back, down a narrow alley populated only by a few idiots too drunk to remember, trash, and rats. What’s the pattern again? One, two, three, one?

I bit my lip, then shook my head and hammered on the back door. “Open up! It’s me!”

Behind me, Ace shifted Milton on his shoulder...

10. Mad Dash

Ducked low, I led the way through the forest, socked feet helping to quiet my steps. The last rays of the sun made the light fuzzy, a blurred gray. White flashed ahead. I raised a hand. Leaves rustled. A branch cracked. Momentary chaos faded to silence.

Twenty or so feet ahead, a pair of white-clad figures walked through the forest. In the low light, they floated, dark trousers swallowed up by the twilight. They walked slowly, heads swiveling.

I hunkered, frozen, half-hidden by th...

9. Twilight Crawl

“Take that! Looks like that’s the end, Ace! So much for being the strongest!” Milton crooned, puffing his chest.

Ace lashed out. Cards flew in the cave, fluttering all around. “Shut up! It’s just a stupid game.”

Vi squeaked, startled, then grabbed her mouth, eyes darting above.

“Hey! Hey. Respect the cards, alright? I spent a whole evening getting a table drunk enough to steal them,” I called out from where I sat against the wall. Despite my most ear...

8. We Come In Peace

Clutching her two children, the mother backed into the cave. The father stepped forward, a hand on his gun. “Stay back.”

“No, no, we’re here to hide, too. We’re not going to hurt anyone,” I said, putting my hands up.

The boy looked at me. “No?”

“No,” I replied firmly.

The father glanced from one of us to the other, whites showing in his eyes. Like his children, dark curls tumbled over his forehead, though his children took after his wife’s bright ...

7. Maybe I'm a Dragon

I stared at him for a second, then laughed. “Good one, kid.”

“I am! I have a dragon core! Or… part of one, anyways,” he insisted, frowning at me.

“There are no dragon cores left. They’ve all been used up long ago. If there were any left, they sure as hell wouldn’t be in some sketchy cult’s child soldier, no offense, kid.”

“Maybe they missed one,” he replied, pouting.

“They didn’t. I know.”

He scowled at me. “What do you know? Not l...

6. Scavenging

I’m not religious. Staring at Quetz’s still form, I had no idea what to do. It didn’t feel right to do nothing, but then, what should I do?

After another moment’s hesitation, I bowed. “Thank you.”

That done, I dusted off my hands and scanned down Quetz’s body. Where to start?

Feeling guilt, or remorse, or respect, or whatever that emotion was that made me want to do something for Quetz—that was one thing. Giving up on all the good money to b...

5. Showtime

We sprinted toward the forest. At our top speed, it took an hour to reach it, the trees perpetually just out of reach. Overhead, Quetz writhed and roared. Lightning cracked and wind howled, the storm stoked by his anger. At the hill, we slowed to a walk, the slope allowing nothing faster. Trees loomed over us, blocking Quetz from my vision. I frowned, but from the howling and screeching, the battle still raged.

The first fat drops of rain thumped down on the dust as we reached the chain...

4. Small World

Dust. Rocks. Pebbles. More dust. Boulders. Rocks. Hills. Dust.

Sun.

I lifted my bandana over my nose and squinted over the hills. “Fucking desert.”

Grim wrinkled his nose in silent solidarity, pulling the brim of his hat lower. A gust of wind tugged at both our hats, threatening to pluck his away.

“Use the strap already,” I advised him.

“It looks dumb,” he replied.

“Holding onto your hat looks pretty dumb, too.”

He nodded. “...

3. Bear Hugs and Other Greetings

A roar deafened me. The grip tightened. My feet left the ground, and the air rushed out of my stomach. Stunned, I flailed, smashing blindly at my attacker.

“Kit!” Grim shouted, beautiful hazel eyes big and scared.

“He’s gone mad!” a stranger behind me shouted.

Short on air, the world bleeding black, I closed my eyes and drew on the mana in my system. The core in my chest began to burn.

Not again, I thought, tired.

--

A quick history lesso...

2. Facing the Sunset

I kicked open the tavern’s door. “Gooooood afternoon!”

Back to me, the bartender didn’t look up from polishing the glass in her hand. Tanya remained untouched by the dust, as ever, dark skin flawless, stained rags dangling from her stainless black apron, a faint trace of dappled brown fur at her neck, vanishing into her high collar. Dryly, she replied, “Hello, Kit.”

“Yes, that’s right, I’ve come to grace you with my presence yet again. I know you’re simply over...

1. A Small Trick

A breeze pulled at the brim of my hat. It tugged at the tip of my rifle where it peeked over my shoulder, almost playful. The heavy metal band on my hat and the leather strap on the rifle held both in place, even as the breeze grew to a gust. The sun crisped my exposed arms, vicious at midday, undeterred by the cool gust. I licked my lips and felt the moisture evaporate immediately, leaving my poor lips cracked. A smile broke across my face. Nothing like a desert afternoon.

Perched atop...

Season One: End!

Hey everyone! That concludes season one of TTMF. I'm going to put the series on hiatus for now to work on another book I'm super excited about! You'll start seeing episodes of that within the week, next week at the latest. For now, I'm going to take a short break and work on my next book, make sure I have the intro down before I post it. 

I'm going to try a new post schedule this time. You guys will get a chapter as soon as I write it, so there won't be daily posts. On the other ha...

79. Your Points or Your Life

Ikara squeaked in panic. Across the alley, Kaidu tensed. His eyes narrowed and a pair of scissors appeared in his hand, but he didn’t move.

Rowan lifted his lip. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Jude shrugged. “I’m not one to walk away from a free meal.”

“We promised!” Jenna shouted, backing away.

Lancelot chased after her, one step at a time. Slowly, she raised the lance.

“Until the end of the fight. Fight’s over,” Jude replied smilingly. 2021-09-17 20:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post

78. Down For A Fight

Rowan stared. Gills? He glanced up. The faintest flash of white appeared over the edge of the buildings, but only momentarily. Rowan grinned through the pain. Kaidu! He found Gills?

“Who in the hell are you?” Jeff asked, looking Gills up and down. He twitched a finger away from Jenna to point at Gills.

Gills ducked. Cutting a serpentine across the alleyway, he charged at Jeff.

Jeff tipped his head. Jacob released the man he stood on and stomped over to ...

77. Punishment

The sound of combat came from a road to the right of the plaza. Rowan pushed ahead of Ikara and led the way, splashing through the ruined fountain’s puddle. Footsteps echoed from the buildings above as Katy ran alongside him, sound of her feet almost hidden in the ceaseless patter of rain. She jumped again and vanished, a blur of pink amidst the gray clouds.

At the edge of the building, Rowan stopped and peered around it. The man covered in weapons and his daughter fought a valiant ba...

76. Best-Laid Plans

Rowan kicked a clone in the back. The clone staggered and fell, and he finished it with a quick rake-blow to the back of the head. He stared at the clone, waiting. A few long seconds passed. The body faded away.

Ugh, killing myself repeatedly is not good for my psyche. Rowan pushed back his bangs and looked around.

Down the street, one of Ikara’s clones struggled weakly in the grip of her threads, then went limp. She maintained her hold on it as it fell. A few seconds l...

75. Reversal

Jude rushed over, Lancelot at his side. Rowan followed on their heels, too concerned to sit back, and Ikara chased him over.

Tipping her head this way and that, Jude leaned in, appraising her state. Nodding to himself, he started picking through his pack of vials.

“What happened?” Rowan asked.

The other girl—Jenny? No, Jenna—stared up at him, eyes wide. “They—they caught us again. He did. The Trapper. Said we didn’t make enough points. I didn’t—we ...

74. Raw Deal

“Are they gone?”

Lancelot turned the corner, lance in one hand, a scowl on her face.

Ikara stared up at her. “They—they…”

“They got us, too. Come on. We’ve still got the Safe Haven open. You guys can borrow it, take a shower, dry off. You’ll all catch colds like this.”

Drawing Kaidu upright with her, Ikara stood. Water rushed off her, her clothes heavy with it. “Thanks.”

Rowan shook his head. He struggled, again, to climb to his feet, and ...