All posts in War Dancers

This’s the main problem with The Madam. She tells you to wait at the restaurant and then leaves the restaurant.

At least I have time to pick on my favourite runner today. “How’s training going?”

“It’s not,” Ave replies.

“Fine by me if you go die, dagger in the back. Not my duty to teach you how to survive.”

Ave tilts his head, pointing to the small shield lying in the stage corner.

Oh, almost forgot, he’d finally bought what he wanted. Gambling, guess it pays out sometimes. Sometimes. I rise from my sitting position, “Okay, but you know damn well you’re smarter than all of us ‘round here. Put your mind to something ‘sides the next con’ or gamble. You’d be a great warrior if you weren’t always chasing the next fun.”

“He’s right Ave,” Ash says.

“Hey, I don’t see y’all having a talent that Mads abuses day and night. I need my vice, I’m too young not to have one. And I’m great at gambling, that’s the problem. In fact, I bet I have to work with both of y’all tonight and your date’s fucked.” He grins.

Bastard. Always foul-mouthed, too smart for a ten-year-old.

“Take that back!” Ash stands quickly and bunches up Ave’s top-cloth left fist ready to knock him out. Damn, I love her. Continue Reading →

Every time I cut off a child’s hands I like to count. Anything to distract myself from the fact that I’m cutting off a child’s hands.

Five minutes and the show begins.

We’re both facing the stage curtains. Slum Brown, I entitled their colour years ago. They used to be a ‘Royal Red,’ an official colour, but The Madam’s self-stylings as a queen couldn’t cover up what this place was for too long, a mud-brick restaurant in the slums. At least this one’s large, and floored. The floors being the same colour as everything else here, a bleak mix of gray and brown – Slum Brown. The smell of piss is everywhere. As usual for the slums, it’s like the air itself is moist with it.

The Madam had hired a stone mage of the second rank while standing here, and he’d half-finished setting the foundation before he’d figured out he wasn’t getting paid and quit. Hence its hushed nickname, The Leaning Turd.

Can’t understand why she stays, to lord over a land of children? Is her pride that small? She’s a fire mage! Shaking my head at the thought I Continue Reading →

“None shall last.”

Sighing, I continue looking around, desperately searching for an answer. The infinite threads of time and karma pass before me as my very being stands at the edge of totality.

Going down swinging – it was as good a plan as any I guess, given the circumstances. No one takes kindly to a death sentence, let alone gods.

It’d take all of us, and all from us.

“Find it?” she asks, pulling me back to this moment, to her. Like she always does.

Giving up, I reciprocate, pulling her closer in. “Yeah, by the narrowest of margins. Three species eventually, two meet your criteria.”

Stars blazing with glory magnificent, they wink out as I put my arms around her waist and Continue Reading →