I hit the ground hard, and the wind was knocked out of me. My cloak's protective cocoon absorbed most of the impact, but the force of the blow had still been enough to send me sprawling.
As the cloak unwrapped, I gasped for air and looked around frantically, trying to find whoever it ...
2025-04-18 15:09:15 +0000 UTC View PostI eyed Eryn as she held on to Arclight, grinning proudly. The bow was truly a work of art, and merging with Arclight’s gem had only improved it further, the lightning globule glowing like a golden thunderstorm. The Woodweaver spikes at each end glowed faintly purple.
“Greetings,...
2025-04-17 13:14:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe soul gem was warm in my hand, but nothing happened as I held it against the hammer. We just watched it for a long moment, half-expecting fireworks or something. When nothing happened, Roq began to strain mentally, at least I thought that was what he did, as he made strenuous noises directly i...
2025-04-16 16:57:57 +0000 UTC View PostWe sat upstairs around the dining table where Ma had prepared venison stew for lunch. Knut and Pa shared a mug of ale, while Ma, Eryn, Nabeeh, and I stayed with tea. Lysander had begged his leave, heading to the Hollow Hearth for a rest, promising to return later and start working on the second b...
2025-04-15 14:52:05 +0000 UTC View PostI stood in the forge, looking down at the table where the bow’s parts had been carefully arranged. The morning’s breakfast was still warm in my stomach.
Pa yawned next to me, his jaw cracking and he winced, cursed under his breath, and let out a deep sigh. He took a deep sip of a tea so...
2025-04-14 18:01:52 +0000 UTC View PostMy mind raced as Pa stood frozen with his hands deep inside Arclight’s carcass, his expression unreadable.
"What's happening? Did the old man finally realize how sub-standard this carcass of an overgrown cat truly is?" Roq asked. "I mean, I could have told him tha...
2025-04-11 17:55:07 +0000 UTC View PostI held Eryn close, taking in her scent and warmth as we leaned against the smithy's wall. Last night had been spent eating and drinking at home, with baths for us all, including Roq who'd spent longer in a small bucket of milk than I did in the tub. Then we'd chatted in front of the fireplace, fo...
2025-04-10 17:21:45 +0000 UTC View PostBy the time we finally made it back to our place in Dawnwatch, exhaustion had settled deep into my bones. The events of the past day—the monster attack, the battle with the Juggernaut, my injury and the consequent healing—all of it had taken a toll. All I wanted was to collapse into bed and s...
2025-04-09 13:58:33 +0000 UTC View PostSometime later I sat on a cot in the medical tent, with Roq hanging from my belt, and Doctor Katherine sitting in front of me while frowning at my leg. A few guards with less serious wounds were splayed out across the other cots, waiting for their turn.
With the death of the siege mon...
2025-04-08 15:48:45 +0000 UTC View Post“Oh, this is really good,” I said, reading the new skill’s description.
NAME: Ironburst
TYPE: Active / Area Attack
DESCRIPTION: Slam the ground to summon a burst of steelhusk spears, impaling up to 15 enemi...
2025-04-07 14:59:22 +0000 UTC View PostWhat did he just say? That he could hear the instructions of the Hive Mind? If that was true…then maybe we had a chance.
"Hey, you serious? Don’t screw with me now, buddy. Is that true?”Hope bloomed inside my chest, and I felt a surge of energy. “Mhm. I’m not…sc...
2025-04-04 17:02:52 +0000 UTC View PostI licked my lips, feeling my breath on my face inside the helmet as the guards fired on the second wave of monsters. They didn’t even exist at this point as my eyes were fully glued to the gigantic siege monster.
"I know what you're going to say," Roq said. "...
2025-04-03 17:57:11 +0000 UTC View Post“Rift rot,” I cursed, touching my sigil and peering across the killing fields as the bells rang out, three times, and then kept on ringing. Monsters swarmed from the treeline, spreading out and pushing in like a tidal wave, throwing themselves at the stake walls, the water pits, and going for...
2025-04-02 15:15:02 +0000 UTC View PostI sat on a cot next to Eryn when Commander Edwin entered the medical tent. We’d gotten the entire tent to ourselves as Knut’s leg and arm had been set and was being healed. While he could technically move, he was under the doctor’s strict orders not to even get up or he’d face some…repe...
2025-04-01 17:43:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe gates of Sentinel Station slammed shut behind us with a loud thud. I closed my eyes, thanking the bells for our luck. Any longer, and who knows what would have happened to us outside.
The watch commander sent out a group of guards as soon as we had been spotted, with three men tak...
2025-03-31 18:11:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Launchday!
Riftside 1 is now live on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited!
If you've enjoyed the story so far, would you please consider sharing it with a friend or dropping a review on Amazon, because it would help us tremendously?
We've also got a post over on r/litrpg, and a thumb...
2025-03-31 18:10:31 +0000 UTC View Post“By the smith’s own hammer,” I muttered as I opened my stat sheet, the numbers appearing before me. I pretended to look up at the glowing root as I went over the numbers.
NAME: Ash Aldrich
CLASS: Hammerlord
LEVEL: 2025-03-28 19:27:02 +0000 UTC View Post
We headed deeper into the cave system, through narrow and wide passages, our footsteps at moments silent and sometimes echoing. The only constant was the glowing roots dotting the roof. We’d passed several seemingly bottomless pits when we came to a larger room and I decided to stop at a partic...
2025-03-27 18:21:38 +0000 UTC View PostI stepped in behind Knut as we entered the Glowroot Caverns through the gaping hole in the ground and proceeded into a narrow passage. The air cooled and had a subtle dampness to it that clung to my skin, seeping right through my armor. Above and around us, pale blue-green roots hung from the cei...
2025-03-26 18:08:24 +0000 UTC View PostI stood before the quest board in the guild hall with Knut and Nabeeh to my sides, scanning the various parchments pinned to its surface.
"What about this one?" I asked, pointing to a yellow-coded quest near the center of the board.
Knut leaned in, casting a shadow over the parchment....
2025-03-25 17:59:38 +0000 UTC View PostI tossed Karl a silver coin, which he caught with wide eyes. Before he could dash off, his gaze locked onto Pa's newly forged hammer resting in his lap.
"What's that?" he asked, voice filled with wonder. “It’s really cool. Are you also going out to adventure with Ash?”
...
2025-03-24 16:56:01 +0000 UTC View PostI awoke with a smile on my face. The double bed, delivered late last night, was better than I even imagined. It was quite possibly the best and most luxurious sleep I'd ever had. Sometimes, monster hunting wasn't all bad. Especially when that hunting helped you afford luxuries beyond your wildest...
2025-03-24 16:55:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe artisan district sat in deep shadow between the second and third ring road. It was packed with vendors hawking their wares both from their shops and the stalls lining the streets. All the scents mingled to what I could only call ‘humanity’.
I walked in front of Eryn, clearing a path...
2025-03-24 16:55:25 +0000 UTC View PostI pushed open the front door, my face set in a sour mood and shoulders sagging.
The conversation with Edwin had left me with more questions than answers, on top of the mental tiredness of my first overnight hunt and stay in Riftside. It had been an experience, but the commander’s wa...
2025-03-24 16:54:06 +0000 UTC View PostI jogged over to the stairwell Edwin had disappeared into.
“Force him to answer our questions. I am ready to draw blood. For the group’s sake! Tell Edwin I will give him a love tap if he tries to run off again.”
I climbed the stairs to find Edwin leaning against...
2025-03-24 16:53:47 +0000 UTC View PostThe violent shaking in the treetops grew closer, as if a tide of monsters were running through the forest, and soon we heard branches snapping and the rustle of leaves.
Knut hurriedly fastened the last straps of his armor and picked up his Thornwall shield—just as I finished securing my g...
2025-03-24 16:53:24 +0000 UTC View PostI walked over to stand next to Knut, who stood eyeing the sheer face of the mesa. His hands seemed to trace the contours of the rock in the air as he analyzed potential ways upward.
"Not bad," he said. “There. Cracks for fingers. Ledges for feet." He pointed to a zigzagging path up the cl...
2025-03-23 18:19:43 +0000 UTC View PostThe forest was denser on the other side of the charred fungal plain, and we walked in silence for a while with the massive metallic trees growing so close together that in places we had to squeeze between their trunks. The canopy above blocked so much light the ground was nearly bare, except for ...
2025-03-23 18:18:55 +0000 UTC View PostThe area around Sentinel Station was busier than ever as we passed through, with every able-bodied person brought out to fell trees or work on the defences. The town was beating back the wilderness, turning it into a deadly and industrial zone.
"Impressive," Roq spoke ...
2025-03-23 18:18:46 +0000 UTC View PostThe scent of cooking pulled me from sleep and I blinked myself awake. For a moment, I was confused by the unfamiliar ceiling above me. Then I remembered—I was asleep in my new room in our new home.
I stretched, yawned and, sat up.
After crawling from my bedroll and dress...
2025-03-22 16:34:50 +0000 UTC View Post