Novels by Kim Tina

The air in the shop felt thin, pulled tight by the heavy, velvet-clad presence of Othven Rask. Veydran gripped the edge of his counter so hard his knuckles turned white, the polished wood groaning under the pressure. High above, the crystalline habitats hummed, a dissonant chord of magical energy that seemed to pulse in time with his own racing heart."You really don't understand, do you, Master Rask?" Veydran said, his voice barely a rasp. "These aren't inventory items. You can't just slap a saddle on a storm-whelp or expect a dragon to trot along like a draft horse."Rask didn't blink. He reached out with a gloved hand, tracing the rim of a nearby jar of dried herbs, his expression one of bored, aristocratic calculation. "I don't need a horse, Veydran. I need power. I need something that can traverse the Borderlands without falling prey to the local rot. Whether it’s a beast, a monster, or an Abyssal anomaly, it’s all just equipment to me. And equipment, as we both know, has a price

The silence of the shop was short-lived. Veydran had barely finished sweeping the last of the glass shards into a pile when a sound—a wet, rhythmic slap-thwip—echoed against the front door. He paused, the broom hovering mid-air."Did you hear that, Coal?" Veydran muttered, glancing toward the counter.The dragon tilted its head, its ember-colored eyes narrowing. Another slap-thwip followed, then a dozen more, like rhythmic, gelatinous footsteps pressing against the wood.Veydran dropped the broom and scurried to the window, peering through the small, dust-streaked gap in his curtains. His jaw dropped. "Oh, you have to be kidding me. Is that a slime migration?"Outside, the street was cluttered with at least a dozen translucent, blue-hued slimes, all pulsing with a soft, bioluminescent light. They weren't just passing by; they were congregating, their rounded bodies pressing against the storefront as if pulled by a magnetic force."Why are they here?" Veydran hissed, turning to the dra

The door clicked shut, the heavy iron bolt sliding home with a finality that echoed like a hammer strike. Veydran leaned his forehead against the cool wood, his breath hitching in his chest. His heart was a frantic drum, beating a rhythm of pure, unadulterated stress."Okay," Veydran whispered, his voice trembling. "Okay. That was a collector. A literal, high-society monster-collector. Why does my life sound like the prologue to a tragedy?"Coal, the obsidian dragon, shifted on his shoulder, his scales warm and vibrating with a soft, rhythmic hum. Spark, the thunder-wolf, let out a low, static-filled yip from behind the counter.Veydran didn't move for a long moment. He listened to the quiet of the street, the distant clatter of carriage wheels, and the unsettling stillness of the shop. Then, just as he started to lift his head, a soft thud sounded against the front glass.Not a knock. Not a push. A touch.His blood turned to ice. He hadn't latched the secondary lock.The door creaked

The silence of the shop was no longer the oppressive, sulfur-tinged weight of terror; it was a hungry, vibrating stillness. Veydran sat behind the counter, staring at the two predators caged in the center of the room. The obsidian dragon, which he had mentally dubbed 'Coal,' was currently sharpening its claws against the magically-hardened iron bars. Beside it, the thunder-wolf, now known as 'Spark,' was pacing in a tight circle, its fur crackling with an audible, rhythmic snap-pop-snap."You’re both insatiable," Veydran muttered, rubbing his temples. "I gave you the last of the salted jerky an hour ago. You’re not supposed to be burning calories this fast."The dragon let out a low, dissonant trill and nudged the iron bar with its snout. It wasn't a growl; it was a demand."I know, I know," Veydran sighed, pulling up the flickering blue interface of the System. "I’m looking, aren't I? But the standard 'Beast Pellets' you two are eating are practically cardboard for your metabolisms.

The silence that followed the departure of Osvan Malk was heavy, pregnant with the kind of tension that made Veydran’s teeth ache. He sat on the floor, his back pressed against the wood of the door, his chest rising and falling in erratic, jagged rhythms."One hour," Veydran breathed, staring at the ceiling. "I have sixty minutes before the man who effectively runs the local law decides to tear my shop apart. If he finds a dragon and a literal thunder-wolf, he won't just arrest me. He'll hang me for operating an unlicensed creature sanctuary."From behind the iron bars, the dragon let out a soft, impatient huff. The thunder-wolf, now curled into a ball, flickered with a stray arc of electricity that scorched a tiny, blackened circle onto the floorboards."Stop that," Veydran snapped, though his voice lacked any real bite. "I am already one heartbeat away from a panic-induced collapse. You aren't helping."He pushed himself up, his legs feeling like lead. He needed to tidy up, to hide

The air in the shop was still thick with the smell of ozone and burnt fabric, a scent that Veydran was beginning to fear would become his permanent signature. He was on his knees, clutching a broom, when the System chime echoed—a sound like glass marbles hitting a marble floor."Not again," Veydran groaned, his shoulders sagging. "Please, for the love of the light, tell me that was just a notification about the insurance premium."The dragon, currently dozing on his lap, didn't agree. Its ears pricked up, the obsidian scales along its spine rising in a sharp, jagged ridge. It didn't purr this time. It hissed—a sound like steam escaping a high-pressure pipe."What is it, little menace? Are you hungry again?" Veydran asked, nudging the beast gently. "We have to wait for the delivery, remember? No jumping on the counters, no melting the floorboards."The dragon ignored him, its head snapping toward the front of the shop.CRACK.The sound didn't come from a door opening. It was a sharp, l