Episode 1.9

Zhu Song led the lagomorph into a brightly lit chamber. The many low tables and cushion-filled chairs gave the place a feel more of a public tea house or tavern than a place of business. Not what he expected for the sitting room of the head of the Systems faction. The young ratling motioned for

Episode 1.8

As Jiao Tu was marched off deeper into Systems territory, the lagomorph noted well that the young ratling apparently shared a family name with the faction leader they were going to see. He constantly felt the eyes of the gang leader staring at his back as they walked along. Chooha, Zhu Song had called him.

Episode 1.7

The ratling grinned and began to attack even more wildly. His obvious exhaustion no longer mattered. Reinforcements would be there in moments. One of the blows landed on Jiao Tu’s forearm, sending pain shooting up the limb. He needed to find a way to win some sort of control of the situation. He warded off

Episode 1.6

In spite of the dim lighting, Jiao Tu saw two ratlings conversing. If his scent had not given him away, the patterns of tumors on his head confirmed it. One of them was the gang leader from before. The lagomorph took a few slow breaths to calm himself. Calm breathing, calm thinking. He had taken

Episode 1.5

“You must keep the female from being invested as an Oracle. Or if you cannot do that,  you must take her from the Engineers and return her to the Mid decks.” Jiao Tu had already promised the elders that he would return the mousling, so all Shesha had done was give more urgency to his

Episode 1.4

The serpent-kin gave its hissing laugh. “Welcome, Jiao Tu. I knew that I had chosen well.” A forked tongue long as the lagomorph’s arm flicked out, tasting the air and Jiao Tu’s scent. He did not meet the serpent’s gaze. Ancient fears, so primal that even the skill of the gods had not rooted them

Episode 1.3

Jiao Tu glanced up, trying to orient his mental map of the Below to the conduit-work sigils. That was when the deck plating dropped out from beneath him. He landed on a chute of some sort and hardly had the time to register the plating sliding back into place above his head before he was

Episode 1.2

No, Jiao Tu realized. The mist did not shroud the enemy. It was the enemy. One of the mist-tendrils wrapped around the tail of a fleeing ratling. Blood-red welts formed wherever the mist gripped. The ratling let out a high-pitched squeal of pain. That was a mistake. Faster than Jiao Tu’s eyes could follow, two

Episode 1.1

Jiao Tu twitched his nose beneath the black cloth he wore over it. He hated working the Below. His lagomorph eyes were used to the Mid, with its verdant fields and regular cycle of light and dark. The Below remained in a perpetual red twilight, further obscured by patches of radioactive steam released from faulty