Haylock

67 - Attack

A high-pitched whistle rang over the battlefield, growing louder by the second as it cut through the dying flames still crackling on the mountainside. The trees there were blackened and charred, th...

66 - The Heavens Descend

What Barry had first assumed was a giant fireball unraveled as it flowed down the slope, the thin ropes of burning flame that comprised it lashing out to destroy every bit of life they could touch....

65 - Trust and Doubt

From the rear of the procession, Solomon watched as the king knelt down and gathered power. Augustus Reginalrd Gormona had said he had a warning for Fischer and the rest of the traitors. When the k...

64 - Dark Clouds

Beneath a sky of pale blue and surrounded by verdant forest, a wave of nausea washed over me. I stumbled, the sensation so strong that it felt like a physical blow. I let go of the cart, and as I t...

63 - Preordained

Though there had been much to consider, it didn’t take Solomon long to reach a decision. After less than an hour beneath the ground, filled with direction and determination, he raised a hand to t...

62 - Radiation

I furrowed my brow as I continued feeling the world with my chi, focusing it right on the spot where the shack had been.

All that remained of it now was a divot in the earth, covered by remna...

61 - Cleanse

The forest sailed by below us, countless colors blurring into a single blanket of green. Over mountains and across valleys, Borks and I flew, never once changing direction. I destroyed more than a ...

60 - Acidic

Within the dark confines of a wooden hovel, a lone man toiled.

Though Solomon had practiced his profession for tens of thousands of hours over his decades-long life, he had never undertaken a...

59 - Downhill

As I sailed through the late afternoon air, a frigid wind raced over me, biting deep into my skin. Before becoming a cultivator, it would have chilled me to the bone. Now, it just made me smile. I ...

58 - Frozen

Light slowly bled from the sky as the sun set further to the west. It shone its orange rays over us, the trees on the other side of the lake casting long shadows that made the water appear almost b...

57 - Monster

“I trusted you!” Deklan yelled, his arms outstretched so the jungle mudminnow was as far from his body as possible. He pinched the crime-against-nature of a fish between his thumb and ...

56 - Mischief

Unlike the last time we made our way from Tropica to Gormona, we didn’t travel along the road for long. After less than a half hour, we approached the first village. Veering off the road and into...

55 - Adventure

When I woke the following morning, I could feel one of my animal pals nuzzling up against my chest. I smiled, taking a deep breath and stretching my arms.

“Good morning,” I said, not part...

54 - Bear Hug

High in the mountains to the northwest, a lone alchemist was trapped in his thoughts. If he had a friend present, perhaps they could have helped him challenge his internal narrative and break out o...

53 - Expansion

When I opened my eyes, I found our spiritual forms still high above the clouds. Though the susurration had disappeared all at once, our connection to one another remained. I peered around the circl...

52 - Becoming One

It was a beautiful afternoon in the forest surrounding Tropica. The sun shone down from above, the celestial body on its inexorable path toward the western mountains. I was surrounded by my animal ...

51 - Names

“Gods above,” Maria said from beside me, shaking her head and rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Save us.”

I barked a laugh. “Come on—you can’t dread my names that m...

50 - Misconceptions

My core radiated joy as I stared down at Kallis’s newest spirit beast.

“Is...” Maria trailed off, searching for the right words. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

She smirk...

49 - Loyalty

I felt myself falling to the floor, but couldn’t do anything to stop it. My entire body was numb, and I only barely registered my back striking the floor. Claws reached me first, clasping my arm....

48 - The World Itself

 “Okay, Snips,” I said. “When you’re ready.”

No response came, so I tore my eyes from the barbecue before me, casting a glance her way. “... Snips? You right?”

She sh...

47 - First Contact

When Rocky awoke in what must be the afterlife, he let out a content sigh. Though he was now in a different realm to his beloved mistress and the rest of Tropica, his body had a weightlessness he h...

46 - Birds on the Wind

“Well, good morning!” Sue called across the square. She had at least a dozen people waiting for coffees, yet she took a moment to give Maria and me a scandalous eyebrow wiggle. “Did you two h...

45 - Pyre

From the very moment his body made contact with the molten rock, all Rocky knew was pain.

Though the volcano contained the same essence as his explosive chi, it showed him no mercy, doing its...

44 - Ambush Predators

Deep within the forest to the west of my property, light streamed down through the canopy. A pleasant breeze flowed past the trees, bringing with it the scents of wet grass, pollen, and something i...

43 - Intoxication

I woke the next morning to a floral fragrance permeating the room.

It reminded me of Maria and the scents that always drifted up from her hair, never quite the same as the day before. I breat...

42 - Echoes of the Past

With sweat peppering his brow, a lone alchemist trudged up a grassy hill. If not for the exhaustion lingering throughout his entire body, he would be fairly skipping up the slope. He had left his s...

41 - Training

It had been almost two weeks since George, Geraldine, and the Church of Carcinization had joined our ranks.

After my repeated reassurance that I didn’t mind if they continued worshiping cra...

40 - Return

The days bled into one another on the road to Theogonia, each just as bothersome as the rest.

After weeks and weeks of traveling, the surrounding forests had grown dull. The monotony of brown...

39 - Affinity

I was waiting for a fish to bite when two pulses of chi came from many newly awakened cultivators. Maria and I shared a grin. We dashed along the rockwall, over the sand, and through the open front...

38 - Redemption

I smiled up at the first rays of sunshine, enjoying the warmth it lent my skin.

“Should we rescue them soon?” Maria asked, also facing the blazing orb as it peeked over the distant horizo...