Novels by Quilled

The poisoned blade descended toward Donna. The green liquid dripped from the sharp steel, aiming directly for her paralyzed throat. She stared up at the featureless black mask of her executioner. She could not lift a single finger to deflect the killing blow.Arthur pushed his remaining Qi into his legs. He prepared to burn his foundation to reach her.He did not need to move. The final distortion of the probability skill triggered.The concussed assassin lying on the cave floor groaned loudly. He woke up in a groggy panic, disoriented by the blow to his skull. He tried to scramble to his feet to rejoin the fight. His leather boots found zero traction on the loose dirt and spilled blood covering the stone floor. He slipped violently. He threw his arms out to catch his balance and slammed headfirst into the back of his leader's knees.The impact broke the lead assassin's rigid stance instantly. The killer buckled forward. His lethal thrust veered wildly off course. The poisoned short s

"Target the cook," the lead assassin ordered in a hollow whisper.The three shadows bypassed Arthur entirely. They rushed past the dead campfire and headed straight toward the helpless woman lying on the moss bed.Clark did not hesitate. The man stepped directly into their path. He used his massive frame and iron spear to block the narrow cave tunnel. He stood like a solid wall of muscle between the elite killers and his paralyzed rival."Cover my blind spots," Clark barked over his shoulder.He did not care about Arthur's miraculous breakthrough. Clark was a veteran squad leader who had survived a decade of brutal mountain warfare. He took control of the room immediately."Guard the flanks, physician," Clark commanded. "Do not let them slip past the spearhead."Arthur nodded. He raised Blood Drinker and moved to the right side of the tunnel.The assassins engaged. They moved with terrifying synchronicity. Their dark leather armor seemed to swallow the dim light of the cave. They raise

Arthur stared at the translucent red text floating in his vision. The system offered a ten percent chance of a double breakthrough. Orthodox martial doctrine dictated that such a low probability equated to a ninety percent chance of explosive death. A standard cultivator spent years meditating in a quiet room just to purify a single energy source."Put those away," Clark warned from the other side of the fire. The giant man watched Arthur holding the three glowing hearts. "Your meridians will rupture. You cannot process three high tier sources at your current stage.""He is a physician," Donna rasped from her bed of dry moss. "He knows the limits of his own body.""Knowing anatomy does not change the capacity of a human vessel," Clark argued. He stood up and took a cautious step back. "The raw vitality inside those cores will boil his blood. He will detonate inside this cave."Arthur ignored the giant squad leader. He focused his attention inward. He felt a strange and weightless sensa

Clark struck a piece of flint against a dry pine branch. The small spark caught the kindling, and a warm fire flared to life. The dancing orange flames pushed the freezing shadows back against the rocky walls of the hidden mountain cave. The brutal blizzard continued to howl outside the narrow entrance.Arthur knelt on the hard stone floor beside Donna. He had laid the Iron Chef gently on a bed of dry moss gathered from the back of the cavern. Her breathing remained steady but dangerously shallow.She let out a sharp groan and opened her dark eyes."Do not try to sit up," Arthur instructed. He placed a firm hand on her uninjured shoulder to keep her pinned to the moss. "Your chest just sustained a massive kinetic impact."Donna gritted her teeth. She looked down at her shattered leather armor. A thick layer of green coagulant paste covered her ribs, sealing the external wounds."My lungs burn," Donna rasped. Her voice sounded like grinding stones."I extracted three shattered bone frag

The heavy horn swept through the freezing mist. Arthur watched the thick bone arc toward his ribs. He tried to push his body sideways to evade the lethal blow. His mortal reflexes betrayed his intent. The blunt weapon slammed into his side with a sickening crunch.Pain flared across his chest. The kinetic force threatened to throw him off the shifting gray hide. He refused to fall into the snow. He dropped his sword hand away from his weapon. He reached out and grabbed the jagged ridges of the massive horn.He pushed a dense layer of crimson Qi into his bare fingertips. The spiritual energy activated his Level Two Bone Crushing Grip. His fingers dug deeply into the solid calcium."He took a direct hit," Clark yelled. The giant man clutched his broken chest plate. "The beast is going to crush him.""He is still holding on," Donna shouted back. She pointed her short iron dagger upward. "Look at his hands.""You need to jump off," Clark ordered loudly. He stared at the young physician cli

Donna did not wait for the beast to finish intimidating them. She launched herself into the freezing air. Her boots kicked off a jagged stone, propelling her high above the deep snow.She raised her polearm over her head. The iron cleaver caught the dull morning light. She brought the weapon down with a terrifying roar of pure physical exertion. The blade struck the thick bone plating on the beast's front arm.A sharp crack echoed through the mountain pass. The iron blade actually bit through the natural armor. A spray of dark blood erupted from the wound.Arthur watched in genuine surprise. His medical vision confirmed the sheer density of those bone plates. Clark had shattered his own armor and nearly dislocated his shoulders just trying to dent the beast. Donna had bypassed the sheer density through absolute, terrifying raw power.The beast roared in pain. It stumbled backward and shook its bleeding arm. The wound was shallow, but it proved the monster was mortal.Clark stared up fr

"I will never crawl for you."Aiden spat the words across the table. His chest heaved with rapid breaths and his face flushed a deep shade of red. He stared at the thick bundle of cash resting near his unpaid restaurant bill but he refused to lower his knees to the floor."Suit yourself," Ethan said.Ethan reached forward and picked up the stack of hundred dollar bills. He slid the money back into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and looked at the terrified restaurant manager."Call the police," Ethan instructed the manager. "Tell them a patron is attempting to steal a twelve thousand dollar meal.""You cannot do this!" Aiden shouted. He slammed his fist against the table. "I am a Taylor! My family built the shipping infrastructure of this city. You are just a glorified janitor who found a stolen credit card."Red and blue lights suddenly flashed outside the frosted glass windows of the dining room. The wail of approaching sirens echoed down the street and stopped directly in front

"The Ethan problem is permanently resolved."Aiden smiled across the table and raised his glass of expensive red wine. He sat with Sarah in the private dining room of Le Cerf. The exclusive restaurant catered only to the wealthiest politicians and corporate tycoons in the city. The lunch bill for their truffles and imported wine already exceeded ten thousand dollars.Sarah took a nervous sip of her water. The memory of Richard White tearing the contract in front of Ethan still haunted her."Did you talk to him?" Sarah asked. She set her glass down and leaned forward. "Did you find out where he got that money?""I did not need to talk to him," Aiden replied. He waved his hand to dismiss her concern. "I sent some specialized associates to have a conversation with him. They are very good at convincing people to hand over their bank passwords."Sarah paled slightly. She knew Aiden employed violent men to handle his business rivals."You did not kill him," Sarah whispered."Of course not,"

"Kill him and take the phone!"Gabriel roared the command and lunged forward. The massive debt collector aimed his jagged steel knife directly at Ethan's chest. The three other thugs charged from the flanks with their switchblades raised to strike.Ethan stood perfectly still in the center of the parking garage. He did not drop his coffee or raise his hands to defend himself. He simply watched the killers approach with cold detachment.The screech of heavy tires drowned out the sound of the attacking thugs.Three armored black vehicles smashed through the wooden security barrier and skidded to a halt in a tight circle around Ethan. The heavy metal doors of the vehicles flew open before the tires even stopped spinning.Twelve men clad in dark tactical gear swarmed the concrete floor. The Sovereign Global private security force moved with terrifying precision and lethal speed. They were known as the Shadow Guard and they protected the most powerful financial dynasty in the world.A guar

"He cannot own a global bank."Evelyn paced the length of her private drawing room. The disaster in the boardroom had shattered her pristine image of reality. Sarah sat on the velvet sofa with her face buried in her hands. The divorce papers rested on the glass coffee table with Ethan's blank signature line mocking them."You did not see his eyes," Sarah whispered. She looked up at her mother. "He was not bluffing. Richard White is the most ruthless shipping executive in the region and he bowed to Ethan like a servant. We made a terrible mistake.""We made no mistake!" Evelyn shouted. She pointed a shaking finger at the divorce documents. "That man scrubbed my floors for three years. He ate our leftover food. Billionaires do not clean toilets to pay for cheap medication."The heavy wooden doors of the drawing room swung open. Aiden Taylor strolled into the room wearing a tailored white suit. He held a bouquet of expensive red roses and wore a confident smile."Why is everyone screamin

"Break his arm and you are dead!"Richard White stormed across the marble floor. He pushed past the terrified employees and marched directly toward the security desk.Eric froze with the heavy metal baton raised in the air. The guard lowered the weapon and swallowed hard. He recognized the chief executive officer of Apex Logistics immediately."Mr. White," Eric stammered. "We were just clearing the lobby for your arrival. This beggar refused to use the back entrance."White did not even look at the guard. He stopped three feet away from Ethan and bowed at a sharp ninety degree angle."Boss," White said. His voice carried across the silent lobby. "I apologize for the delay. The acquisition paperwork took longer than expected."The baton slipped out of Eric's hand and clattered against the stone floor. Davis backed away with wide eyes. The two guards stared in horror as the most powerful shipping magnate in the region bowed to the man they had just threatened to beat.Ethan adjusted the

"Pass the caviar."Evelyn Sterling sat at the long mahogany dining table and gestured toward the crystal bowl. The morning sun poured through the massive bay windows of the Sterling family estate.Sarah picked up the silver spoon and scooped the expensive fish eggs onto a toasted brioche bun. She wore a silk robe and her hair was perfectly styled for the upcoming press conference."Do you think he actually slept on the street?" Sarah asked. She took a bite of her food and swallowed before continuing. "Aiden said the hospital locked the doors and threw him out before midnight.""Who cares where that parasite slept," Evelyn sneered. She wiped her mouth with a linen napkin. "His sister is probably dead in a morgue by now. We finally have an excuse to cut him out of our lives forever.""It was embarrassing to watch him crawl like a dog," Sarah sighed. "He ruined my dress with his filthy hands when he tried to grab my arm.""He is a weak man and weak men deserve to be crushed," Evelyn stat