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The Storm Runner: Chapter 33–Post Postscript

Zane discovers that a dormant volcano is a portal to another dimension where he must battle an ancient god.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–16, Chapters 17–23, Chapters 24–32, Chapter 33–Post Postscript
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. sustenance
    a source of food or nourishment
    "You need rest and sustenance, kid," Jazz said. "Besides, no one finds Old Sparky."
  2. scythe
    an edge tool for cutting grass
    The figure wore a long red robe, and its matching mask was smooth and flat with only slits for eyes and a mouth. And at its side was a stone ax. Replace the red with black, and the ax with a scythe, and you'd have the Grim Reaper.
  3. rappel
    lower oneself with a rope coiled around the body from a mountainside
    I tried to ignore her annoying voice as I slowly rappelled down, and a couple minutes later, I made it to the pool's edge.
  4. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Gingerly I picked my way toward the mouth of the cave.
  5. calamitous
    having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences
    When I went to take it off, the woman said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Could be calamitous."
  6. unparalleled
    radically distinctive and without equal
    "A typical human would assume that a serpent leg is useless. But in a god, the power of the serpent is unparalleled."
  7. defibrillator
    electronic device to restore the normal rhythm of the heart
    Nobody laid the Sparkstriker on the slab, then took the hammer and pounded the bolt into the Sparkstriker's chest like some kind of defibrillator. The old woman snapped straight up and took a gasping breath.
  8. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    Nobody rolled her eyes. There was something annoyingly familiar about the way she did it with a toss of her head and a subtle tilt of her chin.
  9. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    "Enough inconsequential drivel,” the Sparkstriker said. "I'm not about to lose my warriors to the gods' worthless war. So both of you work together and get this thing done!"
  10. drivel
    a worthless message
    "I'm a warrior huntress of the White Sparkstriker tribe." She said the words like they were rehearsed. But behind her cold glare, I could see I'd touched a nerve.
    "Enough inconsequential drivel,” the Sparkstriker said.
  11. squabble
    a quarrel about petty points
    I stepped out of the way. I mean, no need to get in the middle of a family squabble.
  12. muzzle
    tie a gag around someone's mouth in order to silence them
    Then the smoke took the shape of giant hands and muzzled their mouths.
  13. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Ah-Puch scoffed at Ixtab. "You think your hellhounds can stop me?" He looked around at the few demons still standing. "Or your pitiful horde?"
  14. horde
    a vast multitude
    Ah-Puch scoffed at Ixtab. "You think your hellhounds can stop me?" He looked around at the few demons still standing. "Or your pitiful horde?"
  15. harness
    exploit the power of
    I wanted to harness the fire, to draw it in and use it against Ah-Puch. But what good would it do me? First, I didn't know how to control it.
  16. melee
    a noisy riotous fight
    The ground shook. It was all chaos and hair and fangs and screaming.
    Brooks, now masked, took off running into the melee.
  17. commission
    the state of being in working order and ready for operation
    I guessed she could do it because Ixtab was out of commission, at least temporarily.
  18. cliche
    a trite or obvious remark
    So the burly motorcycle dude was the god of war? Kind of a cliché, if you ask me.
  19. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    He had dark disheveled hair, looked like he hadn't shaved in three days, and was so stiff he could've been made of stone.
  20. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    "Is that what you think?" he sneered. "That it's me and me alone? Do you really believe I'm the only one who wants to destroy your pathetic world?" He let out a cruel laugh that echoed across the stone buildings. "You're so naive, just like your father..."
  21. undermine
    weaken or impair, especially gradually
    He thought I didn't know he was trying to undermine me at every turn.
  22. catalyst
    something that causes an important event to happen
    But here's a little secret, godborn: You are the catalyst! You are the reason the world will end.
  23. sow
    introduce into an environment
    He continued, "Those on my side appreciated knowing there was a godborn among us, but I kept your identity to myself. I claimed I had no idea who your parent was, because that would sow mistrust, fighting, and paranoia among the gods. And once I'd created that little breeding ground, they did all the heavy lifting. I simply had to sit back and watch. So you see, Zane Obispo, you were the most glorious surprise of all."
  24. muddle
    a confused multitude of things
    We spiraled through a muddle of thick jungle and black skies.
  25. vortex
    the shape of something rotating rapidly
    The last thing I saw was a fire-eaten monster serpent spiraling into the vortex, hissing, "I'll come for you."
  26. penance
    voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something
    "You're my pet now. This is your cell, and once you've paid your penance to the gods, you'll join the others in pounding stone day and night until your bones turn to dust."
    "Penance? But...I—I killed the Stinking One!" I cleared my dry throat. "Shouldn't that count for, like, early release or something?"
  27. drab
    lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
    "Do you like it? It's one of my private chambers in Xib'alb'a. It used to be so drab and depressing, but I've really livened it up, don't you think? The gold wallpaper is all the way from India. And see that skull painting? O'Keeffe, from your neck of the woods."
  28. deserts
    an outcome (good or bad) that is well merited
    "Well, you managed to rid the world of You-Know-Who, and the war god, Nakon, rounded up Ah-Puch's little pawns, including the Yant'o Triad. And when the gods found out about the hero twins' manipulation and lies? Well, let's just say those boys are getting their just deserts."
  29. sole
    single and isolated from others
    "His sole purpose is to keep balance and peace. He doesn't want to see the gods go to war."
  30. kismet
    fate or fortune
    "The hounds only go to the deceased—they never acknowledge the living—so when Rosie sniffed your motionless cold body, the gods believed you were no longer their problem. It was very kismet, if you ask me."
  31. bangle
    jewelry worn around the wrist for decoration
    She played with the gold bangles dangling from her wrists.
  32. abet
    assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
    She had aided and abetted a wanted criminal.
  33. acquired
    gotten through environmental forces
    Ms. Cab reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a handful of...birdseed? She tossed some into her mouth. I figured my own mouth must've been hanging wide open, because she shrugged and said, "An acquired taste."
  34. stifle
    conceal or hide
    Mom stifled a laugh and Hondo made a disgusted face.
  35. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Brooks listened intently, tracing her fingers through the sand, nodding every few minutes like she could see the images my words painted.
Created on Mon Nov 25 17:10:45 EST 2019 (updated Wed Dec 04 09:47:43 EST 2019)

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