The blood and mud I’d smeared on my face was crusting into a thick mask that stung the edges of my eyes. The morning sun had barely moved since we were dropped from the airship, and it was low enough to be directly in our eyes as we all squinted for a better view at the wooden fort ahead.
I could barely hear the screams over the roar of the crowds. Portals swirled and circled overhead or darted between fleeing slaves.
We were in a forest, and the trees gave some semblance of protection, but it wasn’t much.
To my left, a tree exploded with a crackle of electricity. 2025-07-15 16:24:07 +0000 UTC View Post
The early morning hours had been a blur.
I reported to my “muster station” with Lyria and the other Aspirants. There, Silver Rank Thrask officials had put some kind of spell on us after confirming our final item and spell selection.
The feeling was incredibly strange. All my Iron ...
2025-07-10 14:01:46 +0000 UTC View PostThe procession through Thrask felt like a march to execution.
Fifty slaves in chains. Fifty aspirants in worn leathers. Fifty nobles in gleaming armor. We moved through the streets in three distinct columns, separated by guards who ensured no group mixed with another. The symbolism wasn't s...
2025-07-08 14:59:32 +0000 UTC View PostIt was only three days until the tournament, but right now, my mind was on the guild hall.
“The final gold piece has been contributed,” Hoot announced, his cosmic voice reverberating through the guild hall as I handed over the last coin needed for our task. “The treasury expansion tas...
2025-07-01 19:10:12 +0000 UTC View PostHey guys! I've been waiting to have an actual launch date for a while now, but it's finally here.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FG89CQX2
You can pre-order the book on Amazon too if that's how you roll, and th...
Hey everyone!
Someone pointed out that folks who downgraded to the free tier during the hiatus might not be getting notified that chapters are posting again, so here’s your official heads-up: we're back! I'm posting new chapters twice a week again.
Also, all Patreon tiers are stayi...
2025-06-30 18:03:29 +0000 UTC View PostVitus
The throne room of King Theon smelled of raspberry jam, beer, and sweat.
I stood at attention with the other members of the Azure Guard, trying not to let my mind wander as various courtiers droned on about grain supplies and trade disputes. The tomte king sat o...
2025-06-30 17:56:16 +0000 UTC View PostSleeping an hour a night had an odd effect on my perception of time. Every day felt about thirty percent longer, which made it feel like time was passing that much more slowly.
Two weeks ago, I’d passed the Aspirant’s Guild initiation test with Lyria. Two weeks, but it feels like I’ve...
2025-06-26 15:42:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe Aspirant's Guild occupied an entire block of Gloomglow, its high walls separating it from the chaos of the district. Unlike the ramshackle buildings surrounding it, the guild had been built with purpose. It had stone walls thick enough to withstand magical assault, reinforced gates that could...
2025-06-24 18:41:00 +0000 UTC View PostMy body was tight as I stood, waiting and watching the three men with apprehension. I kept trying to stop feeling so damn confident. I had no right to be. These weren’t predictable monsters I’d learned to fight like the nightmaws back in Beastden. These were humans with unique class corestone...
2024-10-27 15:08:49 +0000 UTC View PostWe'd lost Kalcus's men somewhere in the market streets after several minutes of pursuit, but I knew they wouldn't give up that easily. Not if they'd gone to such lengths to track us down in the first place. Despite a few minutes of flat-out running, I was barely breathing hard as we slowed to a f...
2024-10-27 15:04:52 +0000 UTC View PostMassian Rahma was almost precisely as Vitus had described him.
The tomte was grizzled and scarred, with one arm missing halfway through the bicep. His remaining hand looked like something had bitten through it and removed most of his fingers. An eyepatch hung over one eye, which, along with...
2024-10-23 18:00:28 +0000 UTC View PostI was beginning to get used to the smell of the docks. Sort of. A specific type of crab squid was a popular ingredient in soups, and it gave off a “death smell” once it was exposed to open air for too long. Just as we descended the stairs from the second tier of the city to the docks, I spott...
2024-10-21 17:07:15 +0000 UTC View PostLyria
It had already been three days since we arrived in Thrask and last saw Thorn and the others. I had given them all a comm card, and despite checking my personal space regularly for new messages, I had nothing. Somehow, the escaped slaves had vanished and left no trace....
2024-10-19 18:24:08 +0000 UTC View PostI wasn’t sure why, exactly, but I seriously loved being in Adventurer’s Guilds. The guild in Thrask was many times the size of the small frontier guild I first saw back in Riverwell. I was waiting in line, but didn’t mind. It gave my eyes plenty of time to wander.
On the upper levels,...
2024-10-16 17:52:50 +0000 UTC View PostTalia
Soon, the soil here would soak up the blood, sweat, and tears of five hundred contestants ranging from the lowest slaves to the most promising young nobility. It was a beautiful thought, and I hoped our work would honor their sacrifices and struggle.
I was stari...
2024-10-16 17:51:11 +0000 UTC View PostWhile the guild hall was essentially empty, I saw it as a blank canvas, full of potential for upgrades, expansions, and functionality I couldn't even imagine yet. With time, I hoped to turn this place into a hall bustling with activity and life as dozens or perhaps hundreds of guild members came ...
2024-10-14 18:23:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe tavern's common room was bustling with activity when I finally emerged, slip space practically bulging with all my new and exciting loot. The room smelled like cooking meat, soup, and just a touch of sour, sweaty townspeople. The sound was loud and cheerful as dozens of separate groups laughe...
2024-10-14 18:21:09 +0000 UTC View PostI gave the Epic Lone Dungeon Diver's Token a small rub for good luck, then held it up high.
“Is the Dimensional Guild Master aware that he doesn't need to raise the tokens in such a dramatic fashion to claim them?” Hoot asked.
“He's aware,” I told Hoot. Then I made a few unnec...
2024-10-11 16:39:48 +0000 UTC View PostI pulled out the Common Healer's Token while Hoot tried to keep his bulk contained in one corner of the room. Now that I was trapped in a confined space with the astral custodian, I could smell him. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the scent, other than to say it reminded me of the way the air...
2024-10-09 16:54:49 +0000 UTC View PostI felt like a kid with a big secret as I looked around the tavern common room, hoping to spot Lyria. I was dying to tell her I was officially one of two Dimensional Guild Masters in all of Eros. If I kept this up, I may need to consider commissioning some kind of stone tablet to officially docume...
2024-10-04 13:13:12 +0000 UTC View PostGrimbo and his friends led me through the narrow passageway they had dug beneath his furnisher shop. Last time I passed through this hand-dug tunnel, I was unknowingly about to claim my cursed bedroll. As soon as I claimed it, learned I had limited time to get my ass into a dungeon and find a sou...
2024-10-02 17:11:34 +0000 UTC View Post“This is… quite an extraordinary collection of accomplishments.” The Arcanery's naidu had blue skin, a thin, curly mustache, excessive jewelry that clattered when he moved, and a steampunk style collection of lenses mounted to his face.
I waited as he studied me, his one blue eye enla...
2024-10-02 17:10:03 +0000 UTC View Post“We're good here,” I said, raising my palms in hopes of avoiding a fight.
The kid on the ground took his opportunity to scurry to his feet and back away from the man with the fleshy, bladed arms.
At least I had accomplished saving him from getting his head stomped in. But a glance...
2024-09-30 16:51:19 +0000 UTC View PostThrask glittered as our boat drifted down the cave river, sparkling with the promise of loot, power, and almost certainly danger.
I couldn’t say how long it had really been since I floated down this same river with Lyria to enter Beastden dungeon—since rushing to find a way to feed my p...
2024-09-27 18:41:11 +0000 UTC View PostBloody Steve
Thrask was one hell of a city. I couldn’t remember how long I told Helmet I’d be. Six days? Seven? In the end, it took me twelve. Some of the whorehouses were so damn good I had to double back.
I had spent every bit of coin I earned on my escort missi...
2024-09-25 17:33:26 +0000 UTC View PostBrynn
We stepped out of the cave-like dungeon into the larger Thrask cavern system. My Abyss Walker Boots crunched on round stones that made a beach-like landing before the slow-flowing waters of the cave river. I couldn’t help taking in a deep breath, admiring the new sm...
2024-09-25 17:26:25 +0000 UTC View PostRock
I pushed open the moldy wooden door to a hut just inside the Black Wood. The building reeked of herbs and fungus, with strings of drying vegetables and ingredients dangling from the low ceiling.
“Back so soon?” The voice was thin and weak. A cursed tomte.
... 2024-09-23 16:13:17 +0000 UTC View PostVitus, his Azure guards, and my own friends were entering the room behind us as I kept my eyes on Rake’s ally.
The dark-haired man in black armor had a long, straight sword on his back. He watched me, but made no sign of moving. His expression looked… bored? It wasn’t the fac...
2024-09-20 18:11:47 +0000 UTC View Post