OujiRice

Elevator Pitch: This is a story about what are Dragon Balls coming down into a society inhabited by humans and demons (Fairies, Youkai, etc.) and various groups clashing over them to vie for power and influence. On top of being a wish-granting device collectively, what if these “Dragon Balls” are distinct magical artifacts, each with serious power that could tip the scales balance, even in regional politics? Follow the story of several protagonists dealing with different sides of a Hougu War to come!

Synopsis:

In a post pole shift world, divinely-powered artifacts known as “Hougu” had been traversing dimensions, appearing in the material world and enticing many to seek them for making tall fortunes, attaining great powers, building fame, and so on. As Kamui STAR had been ravaged with seeming civil wars—dubbed Hougu Wars—cyclically occurring every few decades, all in pursuit of these magical treasures by all sorts of groups, certain characters grapple with their presence, one of them coming across a sentient sword claiming to be a Sacred Hougu. The Wars would soon begin and they’d find themselves unable to keep their distance, choosing sides for better or worse.

This is a TTRPG turned novel featuring 7 protagonists, with the 8th to come in Act 2, using the system of Tokyo NOVA. Characters will be shown interacting with the bizarre “megaplex” they call Kamui STAR, the capital megalopolis of a country boasting a mesh of various ethnic groups, but mostly Japanese and Russians. Instead of forming a party of their own, the protagonists would each take the side of a group in the upcoming Hougu Wars.

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Note: Like most of my works, this is a slow-paced series that takes its sweet time setting things up. First seven chapters shift from one protagonist to another, and the chapters take place roughly chronologically.

Protagonists:

1. Yuki: a young urchin who is a caretaker of children by day and an Onmyouji by night.
2. Exelica: an amnesiac woman from space sent on a secret mission.
3. Kagura–Hotaru: a high school girl who takes up a sword thinking someone had dropped it, only to learn she had picked up one of the Seven Hougu.
4. Lev: a cold assassin for hire masquerading as an arms shopkeeper.
5. Saya: a dorky spy of Tara Clan who happens to be an art student (despite never going to any art class).
6. Anastasia: a Hanyou hired as a hacker and hunter who struggles to find her place in the Western Ward, a place inhabited by mages and Ayakashi.
7. Hisaki: a craftsman obsessed with forging his own Hougu, joining with a powerful Ayakashi clan to further his aim.

Schedule: 1 Chapter will be posted every Friday, roughly 3 PM (UTC+6).

This is also posted on: AO3, ScribbleHub, Royal Road and Wattpad.

Cover image is drawn by a friend known as monkoumon. It features Exelica.

Table of Hougu Wars

Table of contents

Volume 1