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Rephel muttered under their breath as they trekked along the base of the Azure Ridge. According to the tracker given by LaZella, the last stray should be around here somewhere. Thank the gods this person wasn’t stupid enough to climb up the peak. And it was probably a good idea they didn’t go inside either. The mole people were getting more and more erratic, ever since Cajama cut herself off from her region. It wouldn’t even be a surprise if the mountain collapsed at any moment. Still, Reph was going to miss the finale at this rate. See how the finalists duke it out! See how much delicious chaos would spread throughout the

Her lungs were on fire and she could only taste iron in her mouth. A buzz settled into her ears, making her ignore the cries of White King to slow down. She had set her sights to the end of the world, away from everything. But there was only so much distance she could cover. She sank towards the ground, at the base of a blue mountain. Her consciousness was barely aware of what was happening, her vision blurring. When the fact registered that she was a few feet away from crashing, she let go of WK. A sharp pain covering her entire right side followed soon after. White King spread his cloak and floated down. He maintained balance with his one

The wind drafted in the newly created pit threw the whole party into disarray. No matter how hard Mattie flapped her wings, she couldn’t orientate herself. She was almost certain that at one point, for exactly five minutes, she was spiralling downwards and upside down. White King weighed almost nothing, so she did her best to avoid slamming him into any walls. That had various degrees of success and she apologized for every single hit. Their terrible journey came to an abrupt stop, all of them landing on a pile of cushions. Mattie swore she blacked out for a couple of seconds from the sudden change of pressure. She could feel her blood

Some time before disaster struck… “Ah-ha! Now you’ve fallen into my trap!” the one who called himself The Host declared, “Say goodbye to your precious knight. With your defenses down, nothing stands in my way of becoming the true king!” If White King had eyes, he would disdainfully stare at his opponent. The man from Limbo proudly tugged on his green bowtie. WK's mouth was pressed into a thin line as he thought about his next move. In a bolt of brilliance, he knew what to do. The Host had no idea what trouble he got himself to! “Checkmate,” White King stated as he moved his tower, successfull

At the top of Ravenheart Tower, a waft of burnt toast and rosemary mixed in with the stench of ink. The Moderators had gathered around the table of the meeting room. The sole exceptions being the designated duo healers, the pummeled Raiden, a unconscious Jetti, and a concerned Cajama. Antares looked over from his chair and murmured under his breath, “She wouldn’t get knocked out twice if she just did the bare minimum-” Cajama’s cold glare shut him right up. Her attention was brought back to Jetti, as she writhed and coughed out harshly. Jetti’s eyes fluttered open before they gave up. Her breathing began to ea

    The mods crowded around in the tiny living space up in the signal tower. Given that the eels have yet to climb back inside, the place was less of an electrical hazard. Most of the Moderators were there, although Raiden was the only character around. He was nearby Jetti, who was sitting on the only office chair. Jetti kept glancing between the giant screen, the one displayed on her glasses, and the group of people behind her. With all the mishaps happening lately, she could only imagine what more terrible news this impromptu meeting was going to give.    “No one could reach Bitter?” LaZella asked.    “Nah, she still d

    There was a rumble. Moments later, Ravenheart Tower erupted. A giant cloud of inky blackness polluted the sky, and it seemed to expand up and further beyond. It suddenly dispersed in a cacophony of caws. If anyone from down below looked up, they could spot two colorful dots flying above.    Mattie screamed and shrieked, while Raiden flailed his arms. As he propelled himself forward, he managed to grab one of her hands. He caught her attention as he squeezed it, gesturing wildly to grab his other hand. Mattie reached over, swung her claw, missed, swung again and Raiden managed to catch it.  After a bit of fumbling, they both laid horizon

    Mattie was heaving when she and Raiden reached the top of Ravenheart Tower. Heights didn’t exactly sit well with her. She bent over and her hands rested against her knees, then swiping away bits of black ink.    Raiden went on ahead, to see if anyone was around the meeting room. After making sure everything was clear, he motioned for Mattie to follow him. She gave an exaggerated groan before reluctantly following him down the stairs. He held a finger to his lips and shooshed her. Her claws clamped over her mouth and she nodded.    As they went down the spiral staircase, Mattie couldn’t shake the feeling on how unnerving th

    The two protagonists made their way out of the building and into the rows and rows of carnival stalls. The place seemed to be littered with more posters, with more frantic marks of X’s and O’s. One of the stalls looked to be entirely made out of the stuff.              The Mistakes around them either pretended to not notice the pair or proceeded to shield themselves from behind the counters. Mattie gave them all an apologetic look. When she couldn’t bare the sight of them any longer, she hid her shame in White King’s cloak. He wrapped an arm around her and stood tall to keep watch.              “Be glad t