The gates closed behind Arven with a demoralizing clang. He couldn’t believe he’d listened to Ortega’s Team Star buddies, talking him up about the Herba Mystica. And he doubly couldn’t believe he was thinking of taking them up on their offer. No. Juliana said she would help, and he would stick with that plan. Maybe … Continue reading →

Penny stood stunned. On one hand she could see how Juliana came to the conclusion that she did. Ortega did grab her only a moment before that horrible series of events occurred. Just watching Juliana’s body stretch and change like that was terrifying. If Penny had been in her position, she’d be looking to blame … Continue reading →

When Penny imagined finally speaking to her friends in person, she didn’t imagine it would go like this. To start with, the helmet didn’t come off as easily as she expected. It was one of those things that seemed like it should be intuitive but wasn’t. So instead of smoothly removing it to reveal her … Continue reading →

In the confusion of the giant olive fiasco, Penny had lost track of both Arven and the grunt showing him in. Nothing to be concerned about, she assured herself. The nice thing about being in charge of Team Star was that every crew boss had sent her layouts of their respective bases for approval before … Continue reading →

If there was one thing Clavell prided himself on, it was his sense of subtlety. Unlike the ruffians of Team Star, he knew when a situation required a quieter approach. Take the present moment, for example. He could be marching into the Ruchbah Squad’s base, demanding the full story behind why a wealthy business heir … Continue reading →

Penny slipped the last of the supplies she would need into her Eevee backpack. She’d chosen her lighter-colored shiny edition this time, notable for its thicker, studier fabric. It wouldn’t be a long trip. In fact, the flying taxi would take her most of the way to the Ruchbah Squad’s base. But with the situation … Continue reading →

With Mabosstiff happily stuffed, Arven repacked their supplies and led the way out of the cave into the sunlight. He felt pretty good about confiding in Juliana. His gut told him she’d soon prove out her reputation as the academy’s most promising new student. Some people just had an air of significance about them. Usually … Continue reading →

Arven had been watching Juliana from a distance for the better part of an hour. And no, he reassured himself, he was not being creepy. She’d said this morning she was taking this road through the Area One West Province, and so of course, he assumed she was doing that to help him take down … Continue reading →