The Mook Maker, Chapter 5: Economy of Answers
There was a certain respite in that short moment between consciousness and unconsciousness. The world was just a confusing mix of blurred images and muffled sounds as my mind drifted back to the waking world. It could have been minutes, but it may...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 4: Rip and Tear
I pushed forward. I wanted nothing more than to leave the scene of carnage far behind, escape the gut-wrenching stench still hanging in the air. "Burn the bodies," I ordered. It was the first time I gave a direct command to the...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 3: Crush and Burn
It was even more of a massacre than the previous fight. A fireball detonating in the middle of the group immediately put the already confused bandits into disarray as both their clothes and their bodies caught ablaze. Two spared from the...
The Mook Maker Chapter 46: Line in the Sand
In my old life, I used to think of myself as a problem-solver. That couldn't be farther away from the truth now. The only thing I was good at was, in fact, acting fast, immediately if possible, in an attempt to address the...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 45: Thorns Without Words
The man was dead. There was nothing we could do about it. Narita wasn't around, but there wasn't any shortage of her common 'Defiler' kin lurking nearby to check the man's vitals to confirm there wasn't any life left in the deceased...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 44: Stalkers on the Boundary
I tried to focus on it. It wasn't easy, since our horde, once again, doubled in size. Even though it was hardly surprising by this point, the exponential growth was the one and perhaps only consistent feature behind the poorly explained...
The Mook Maker, Interlude 8: The Conqueror
Tao Wen, the Elder of the Tao Clan, was beyond annoyed. No one but the Emperor himself could command a man of his standing! It had been a special privilege granted to the true masters of the Art, an ancestral right for those...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 43: What We Wished For
The Natives couldn't be underestimated. Our last encounter with their warrior elite had proven that they could pose a significant danger to both me and mine, even in seemingly small numbers, calling for a much greater effort put into finding a...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 42: Gone With a Blast
Instinctively, I tried to cover my eyes, to look away from the flash It was too late. I couldn't see anything, and it was disorienting as it was unexpected. Tama's magic never burned so bright, and so...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 41: All Fools Fall
"It's too dangerous! Please, reconsider, Master!" Tama protested. I didn't listen. That didn't mean I didn't agree with her though. She was right. It wasn't a good idea. Not only did the...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 40: And The Five Shall Appear
I wanted to ask what was happening. Problem was, I knew what was going on - we were, once again, under attack. There was no point in asking why, as neither I, nor my companion truly understood what the locals wanted, or how they...
The Mook Maker, Chapter 39: Speak the Word
Our newest guest, or rather a prisoner, was a blessing in disguise almost as much as he was a curse to have around. On the one hand, he possessed a quality literally unseen among the natives - an actual, discernible willingness to...