Zeke reached down, offering his hand to Talia, who took it. As he helped her to her feet, he looked into her eyes, and he saw more humanity there than he’d seen in the past. Even with her body reforming right before his very eyes, and with blood dripping down her chin as she chewed a human hear...
2022-09-16 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostTalia wove through the forest of obsidian stalagmites, her motions fast and fluid. With her recent levels, her agility and dexterity had jumped by leaps and bounds, the stats further increased by Zeke’s [Avatar of the Beast] as well as her own [Alacrity of Undeath] 2022-09-15 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Carlos sat beside Tucker, the hulking alchemist, trying to ignore his constant stream of questions. He wasn’t fooled by the man’s affable tone; he knew an interrogation when he heard one, even if Tucker’s method included a host of inane, seemingly innocuous comments.
“You’ve reall...
2022-09-13 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostDespite the fact that the immediate danger had passed, and their enemies lay dead on the rocky, uneven ground, it didn’t take a genius to realize that they were still neck deep in trouble. During his time in the caves, Zeke had developed something of a sixth sense for underground spaces. It did...
2022-09-12 13:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostAnother week in the books, and we're just getting into the demon mini-arc. I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I liked writing it. Anyway - as always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, this is where to stick them! Ask away!
2022-09-10 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostLeaving the man-made halls behind, Zeke marched forward down the rugged tunnel, barely bothering with even the basic concept of stealth. With his heavy armor and physical bulk, he just wasn’t built for it. Nor did sneaking around sit well with his personality. In a pinch, he could make a passab...
2022-09-09 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostAbby drew her bow, a conjured arrow glittering in the tunnel’s firelight, as she held her skill, [Thunder Strike] on the brink of activation. A staccato of footsteps echoed from around the corner, announcing the impending arrival of a group of the strange Jaguar warriors who populated the keep....
2022-09-08 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos stood at the gates, staring with horror at the massacre in the courtyard. He had killed plenty of people in his life. He was a member of an assassin’s guild, after all. His powers weren’t exactly clean, either, often leaving a charnel house of blood, gore, and viscera in their wake. He...
2022-09-06 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostTalia’s hands tightened into fists, and the already pale skin of her knuckles whitened even further, the faint green tint from her blood disappearing as she stared out into the distance. The desert landscape looked peaceful, almost like a lifeless alien planet. However, she knew that beyond eve...
2022-09-05 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostAnother week in the books, and this one brought with it an expansion of the Patron benefits. So, I hope you all enjoyed the influx of chapters. We're coming up on a really cool mini-arc, and I'm eager to see what you all think of it.
As always, let me know if you have any...
2022-09-03 18:01:25 +0000 UTC View PostConstance slammed her hand down on her desk, activating her skill, [Touch of the Sun Goddess] without thought. In an instant, the wood began to smolder, and before she could retract her mana, it erupted into a brief conflagration. She let it burn itself out, and only a few second...
2022-09-02 13:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostZeke led his the assassin through the tower, taking more than a little pleasure in the man’s obvious surprise. Since being reborn into the new world, Zeke hadn’t had a lot of chances to just show off, and he had to admit that it felt good, seeing Carlos’s awestruck expression. The tower its...
2022-09-01 13:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapters were out of order for some people, so I had to delete and re-upload to get things back on track.
Carlos was dead. He knew that the moment he saw the expression on the hulking warrior’s face. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had gone wrong, either....
2022-08-31 16:55:59 +0000 UTC View PostChapters were out of order for some people, so I had to delete and re-upload to get things back on track.
“You really don’t see that?” asked Zeke, staring off into the distance.
Standing next to him on the balcony, Abby used her hand to shade her eyes as she fol...
2022-08-31 16:55:15 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos clawed his way back to consciousness, pushing through some ephemeral barrier that he supposed was a skill. One of the benefits of investing so much into his intelligence and wisdom stats was that he was incredibly durable against magical attacks, both physical and mental in nature. His mys...
2022-08-31 12:57:59 +0000 UTC View PostAbby knew something was different. From her perch on the fourth-floor balcony of the tower, she could see that clearly enough. Zeke had gone from cracking the jeweled feathers on the giant amalgam’s back with each swing to leaving craters with every impact.
“He reached the peak,” said...
2022-08-31 12:57:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs I've hinted at a few times over the previous couple of weeks, I've decided to go ahead and increase the Patreon benefit by another five chapters. This affects both tiers, so, as of today, Monarch-Tier patrons get early access (over what's published on Royal Road) to thirty chapte...
2022-08-31 12:56:00 +0000 UTC View PostTalia sensed Zeke’s return well before she saw him crest the horizon at a dead sprint, carrying Tucker over his shoulder. She’d never seen Zeke move so quickly, so it didn’t take her long to surmise that something was amiss. So, when, a few moments later, when she saw the flock of creatures...
2022-08-30 13:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs Zeke dashed toward the emerging sand crab, he couldn’t help but marvel at the monster’s size. At least thirty feet across, its scuttling legs were as big around as Zeke’s waist. However, he was far more concerned with the beast’s overlarge claws, which were already darting out to snap ...
2022-08-29 13:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostRANT ENGAGE!
I admit, I'm a little bummed out after this week. The chapters I released on Patreon are fun, and I think they've been well-received. However, I've come to realize that Royal Road is definitely not a healthy way (for writers) to release books. ...
2022-08-27 16:46:58 +0000 UTC View PostTucker knelt beside a scrubby bush, then bent down until his face was only inches from the otherwise barren earth. The bush itself was unremarkable – just a typical example of desert vegetation, hardy, spiny, and with limbs of weathered wood. However, at its base was the target for which Tucker...
2022-08-26 13:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe first thing Zeke did when he got back to the tower was remove his all-but-ruined armor, which had been melted into so much slag, take off his clothes, and jump in the shower. Not only did the cascading water feel amazing, but by the time he’d finished, he felt clean for the first time in we...
2022-08-25 13:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostRivulets of sweat dragged furrows through the blood and grime that coated Zeke’s face, evidence of hours of exertion. He ignored it just as thoroughly as he ignored the pain of his many wounds and the tug of exhaustion pulling against his mind and body. Instead, he did what he’d been doing fo...
2022-08-23 13:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe moon hung high in the sky over Jariq, bathing the Jungle in silvery light. More importantly, it cast the Jaguars’ territory in deep shadow, making it the perfect playground for someone with Carlos’s skillset. So, he barely even had to think as, cloaked in his skill, [Umbral Phanto...
2022-08-22 13:01:05 +0000 UTC View PostI didn't post the check-in yesterday because I wanted to release an extra chapter this week (still not sure why I made that decision, but I don't think anyone's going to complain about it). So, I'm posting the check-in today. As always, this is where you can ask whatever questions you...
2022-08-21 11:04:30 +0000 UTC View PostI decided to go ahead and publish an extra chapter for this week. Oh, and if you haven't already, please head over to the story's Royal Road listing HERE, ...
2022-08-20 10:50:08 +0000 UTC View PostMarc led Carlos along the winding path through the bazaar, passing various stalls where shouting vendors hawked their goods. Fruits of every type dominated the available wares, but there was a smattering of other items, most of which were intended for everyday use. Stalls selling incidentals like...
2022-08-19 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostZeke sat on the balcony, his eyes closed, and legs crossed. His mind was entirely occupied by the task before him, so much so that he barely even noticed the argument taking place below him. Not that it needed his attention, of course. Abby and Tucker had been at one another’s throats for the l...
2022-08-18 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos hated being out in the open, exposed for all the world to see. Certainly, he wasn’t any more of a center of attention than anyone else in the market, and he knew that. However, from his perspective, it felt as if every single eye within the square was following his every move. It was all...
2022-08-16 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Zeke, sitting on the edge of the bed. The night before, Abby hadn’t been in the mood for much discussion, and she had been far too exhausted for other activities. So, after spending almost an hour in the shower, she had gone straight to bed, which had l...
2022-08-15 13:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post