Try as she might, Nicole couldn’t stop thinking about the death and destruction left in the wake of the Sylan attack. She’d been out there for more than an hour after the battle ended, helping the first responders where she could. Her lack of training was only offset by her ability to pry people out from under heavy things and follow instructions clearly.
By the time...
2024-11-09 07:26:11 +0000 UTC View PostNicole blinked as the world came back in a rush, color returning all at once as everything snapped back into focus. The blade was right there, still moving towards her, but it was oh so slow and she could once again move freely. Nicole brought her leg up, planted her foot against the machine, and pushed the bastard away. It was almost effortless, and she used that sam...
2024-11-09 07:25:10 +0000 UTC View PostA blade slammed into the wooden counter, digging deep into the solid surface as its wielder grinned madly. The man was rather proud of his blades, and loved to demonstrate them in the most destructive of ways, much to the delight of those watching. Some of the other shops were pansy asses about things, insisting you couldn’t handle a blade until you bought it, or winced when you t...
2024-11-09 07:24:01 +0000 UTC View PostAlright, a bit of a quick update. The next chapter in the docket was originally the last chapter of volume one, but significant changes to the edited draft have altered enough things that pretty much every concept in the coming chapter is going to be heavily outdated. (Not to mention the bulk of volume two will need to be tweaked to align with new plot ideas)
Essentially, the Patreon dr...
2024-11-07 12:32:23 +0000 UTC View PostStep. Shoulder tensed. Strike coming wide and low. Adjust spear. Impact. Manageable. Adjust. Thrust. Contact.
“Point, Cunningham!” The judge called.
Jeff stepped back, a grin on his face as he pulled his helmet up. His HEMA instructor did the same, only he was breathing heavily under his own protective helmet. Cur...
2024-11-06 21:02:04 +0000 UTC View PostBecca had picked a rather upscale Italian place in the Maple Grove shopping plaza, which was set up to resemble a small town main street in what could only be described as an overly elaborate open air mall. It was one of the oddities of the city, which shouldn't come as a surprise that it was in one of the more affluent areas of the Minneapolis suburbs.
The restaurant was on t...
2024-11-04 21:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostNicole had been given a few days off from school for her injuries, not that she needed them. She’d ended up back in the gymnastics room while Grace attended classes, running through her old routines again. This time, Nicole had set up her phone to record things, mostly to show off for Grace.
She wasn’t used to someone who appreciated how she looked, and some parts of...
2024-11-01 20:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostRecovery had taken some time, but Nicole was finally back in the saddle, or rather, the passenger seat of a rumbling fire truck as they tore out of the station and towards the latest blaze to warrant a call. Grace sat next to her, the pair already morphed and ready for whatever they were being summoned to combat.
There was still an undercurrent of fear whenever Nicole donned h...
2024-10-30 20:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostNote: This chapter was drafted after the initial edit pass that most of these chapters were based on and might be inconsistent with some details, fair warning.
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“Hayes, Evans, hang back for a moment.”
Nicole paused, the commanding voice of the Fire Chief catching her off guard. With Carlos back in New York to help in the aftermath of the latest Sylan attack...
2024-10-29 02:10:21 +0000 UTC View Post“Cultivating?” Grace asked with a frown. “Like growing them?”
Carlos waved his hand in a so-so gesture. “More like creating conditions in which Rangers are selected then keeping them active. Think about it. How many attacks were there in Minneapolis since the invasion started? How many have there been since your team appeared?”
...
2024-10-25 20:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostThe White Ranger, Nicole knew she shouldn’t be surprised that the mysterious researcher that just happened to come check on her turned out to be one of the people he was going on and on about. If not for the fact that she had just woken up, she might have even made a show of being surprised. As it was, it was just another reveal in what amounted to an info dump that she was all bu...
2024-10-23 20:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post“General Maraline,” Bartran growled. “This does not concern you.”
She turned, not quite facing away from the Rangers as she did. Nicole could see that she had kept her stance ready to respond to any aggression, but the part that surprised her was that Bartran was included in that stance.
“It concerns me when you seem willing to throw your life away ...
2024-10-20 20:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostNicole’s limbs trembled as she drove her blade through one of the connecting tissues of the massive beast. She was gasping for air within her helmet, adrenaline the only thing keeping her upright. She couldn’t rest, not yet, not until the beast was dead.
Phasing through another angry swipe, Nicole continued to methodically take the beast apart. Much of her ange...
2024-10-16 20:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostFair Warning - This chapter probably conflicts with the edited version that goes live on RR/SB/SH more than any other. Keep that in mind while reading as it is still in line with the Patreon draft.
Commander Bartran had served the Sylan empire for nearly half a galactic rotation. There were rare few as long lived as he, and his core DNA was incorporated into each subsequent ...
2024-10-13 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThey left the tattoo parlor with an appointment and several ideas for what they might be getting. Nicole was torn between a sprawling black rose vine, and some Gaelic poetry. She was certainly leaning towards honoring her heritage, even as far removed as it was. Her grandmother spoke the language, and had tried to teach her before she passed. Nicole understood some of it...
2024-10-10 08:00:21 +0000 UTC View PostAs I edit chapters in anticipation of the official launch of The Reluctant Ranger I've got a few options for how I can handle this, and so I'm gonna put it to a poll for my Patreon subscribers! Let me know what you want to see!
2024-10-08 08:40:32 +0000 UTC View PostNicole stretched out, her joints popping as she did. She usually wasn’t one to take an afternoon nap, but her classes had been tedious, and she stayed up far too late with Grace the night before. Not that she was complaining about it, but that didn’t change how stiff she felt. She’d probably end up doing it again too.
Pity that Grace’s roommate was out havi...
2024-10-06 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post“That is concerning,” Carlos said, leaning over a claimed table under a pavilion at the same park they had wrecked only a week prior. Whatever the training session had been intended for originally was now thrown out the window in favor of a crash course on hostile Rangers and what that meant for the team, as well as the city. “You’re sure this is the Ranger you saw?” ...
2024-10-03 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostCereal was almost offensive in Nicole’s book, she hated almost every variety, yet some cereal bars were edible. She blamed the insistence that cereal had to be eaten with milk. Such a vile liquid, with a texture that made her want to heave just thinking about it. People often made fun of her for it in school, because that was all there was to drink. It was so stupid, t...
2024-09-29 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe last thing that Nicole ever expected to see was Maraline, sitting peacefully in a park while strumming a harp for a crowd of children. The woman attempting to destroy humanity, one of the few faces that had been shown of the enemy since the invasion began five years prior, and she was just sitting there.
Peacefully.
It defied all logic, went against everything ...
2024-09-26 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostIt wasn’t a date.
Four simple words, repeated like a mantra within the confines of Nicole’s mind. She could almost believe it too if she hadn’t just spent over an hour agonizing over what to wear. Unfortunately, Becca wasn’t going to be back at the apartment until that evening, so she couldn’t pester her for advice. Not that Nicole had any intention of gi...
2024-09-22 07:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostA lazy Sunday wasn’t really in the cards, not with classes resuming the following day. Nicole woke up bright and early to get a start on the things she had planned the night before. If she was going to devote herself to the whole Ranger thing, then she was going to make damn sure that she was doing it right.
The school’s gymnastics team held their practice on Saturda...
2024-09-19 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostGrace stared down into her strawberry shake, she twirled a french fry in the confection then shoved the golden stick aggressively into her mouth, chomping away. Nicole had to stifle a giggle at the sight, even if her reasons for being upset were just, it didn’t stop her from being a cute sort of grumpy.
Devon was definitely a prick, there was no denying that, but Nicole was at a l...
2024-09-15 07:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe diner was busier than it had been the first time she and Grace paid it a visit, but then again, that had been at ass a.m. in the morning. This time, she was bringing the rest of the Rangers with her following another training exercise. They were all tired following the sparring they had done, but they were finally getting a handle on what they could do.
Or at least N...
2024-09-12 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostPacing back and forth, Nicole tried to build up her courage; it wasn’t working, which was a bit funny. She could face down Maraline—one of the Sylan invaders—without flinching. Why was her best friend so much harder? She should just rip the band-aid off, get it over with. Yeah, that’s what she would do. She stopped, taking a deep breath as she did and turne...
2024-09-08 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe halls were so dreadfully sterile, there was no life to anything on the dreadful ship, at least outside of the labs. Mutants were always being grown, experiments being performed that pushed the limits of what could be done with biology. It was such a waste of resources, all spent to conquer a world in a way that would prevent irradiation at the native human’s own hands. 2024-09-05 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: This chapter is being inserted after some later chapters went live, so no you aren't misremembering having read chapter 11.
“You want us to do what?” Devon asked.
Kayla grinned, twirling as she laid out whatever crazy plan had taken root in her mind this week. “It’s just a little meet and greet at the children’s hospital. We show up, in uniform of ...
2024-09-03 05:42:58 +0000 UTC View PostThe machines all turned their focus on the flash of light that spanned the visible spectrum. The power swelled within, and Nicole relished the feeling. She couldn’t help but smile as she turned all her frustrations upon an acceptable target. None of the machines moved to break away from the group, they were there solely to counter the Rangers at the behest of the woman who h...
2024-09-01 07:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostNicole tossed a ball against the wall, watching as it bounced off and back to her. Grace was still busy with some homework her professors had assigned to make up for the lost week of classes and she was already done with hers. It was a nice enough day with only a few rolling clouds in the blue sky and they’d all agreed to avoid Ranger activities for a few days following their run ...
2024-08-29 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostNicole took a seat on the back of one of the engine cabs, the higher ground offering some comfort in the sea of chaos around them. She couldn’t take her helmet off to drink anything, not without risking her identity. That small fact alone bothered her, not that she was actually thirsty beyond what she normally would be.
She hadn’t felt a lick of heat, even from the w...
2024-08-25 07:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post