I awoke slowly.
My gaze was cloudy, and everything was hazy. Blinking rapidly, I waited until my eyes cleared before studying my surroundings.
Murky water, rotting wood, and the dank overpowering smell of decay filled my senses. I’m in the saltmarsh, I realized. More precisely, I was in one of the dilapidated buildings infested with blood flies. Despite the unappealing su...
2023-01-06 05:38:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe day was still young—barely noon—when Anriq and I exited the saltmarsh district.
It was also the busiest time of day in the plague quarter, and more than a few people were about. Still, I didn’t think that would be a problem.
Anriq and I were just two more players walking the streets, and so long as we didn’t draw any attention to ourselves, there was no reason the passer...
2023-01-05 12:52:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe casual invite to Anriq had been a test, of course.
I couldn’t deceive him with lies nor bind him by magic, which left only one option: winning his trust with the truth. Determining how far I could trust him had been the true purpose of my act of disinterest. So far, the werewolf was proving to be exactly what he appeared—an earnest young man who had run afoul of ...
2023-01-03 08:52:26 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi all,
I hope everyone has enjoyed their year end break. This year promises to be a full year for the Grand Game, with lots for you all to read!
Today, too, is the release of my first foreign translation: a German version of the Grand Game, Book 1. If you're curious, you can find it here:
2023-01-02 03:21:06 +0000 UTC View Post“You can’t be one of Dathe’s!”
I nodded. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
Spinning on his heel, Anriq paced across the grove, the waist-deep water barely checking his stride at all. I watched him, slightly envious. Having all that Strength must be nice, I mused.
“No pack can have two alphas,” the youth said aloud.
I said n...
2022-12-31 09:16:50 +0000 UTC View PostLike the tree itself, the prisoner was riddled with seaworms—thousands of them. But thankfully, they were all dormant, which likely explained why the wolf was only awakening now.
How is he still alive? I wondered. The hags had not mentioned how long they’d been holding their captive prisoner, but I’d gotten the impression it had been for some time.
Metal clan...
2022-12-29 11:03:32 +0000 UTC View Post“Stop!”
The command rang across the grove, harsh and demanding, and in response, the hag I was charging lowered her hands.
For a split second, I contemplated following through with my attack anyway. But then curiosity and common sense caught up. Pulling back my swords, I altered my trajectory to dive past the hag and back into the marsh.
Surging up from the water again, I ...
2022-12-22 10:47:38 +0000 UTC View PostI didn’t stay under long. When I judged myself a safe distance from the coral hag, I resurfaced.
“There he is!”
Three sea witches were directly ahead of me, only one of whom was protected by an ice shield. Not troubling to analyze my targets, I let fly with my astral daggers.
Your attack has failed! Your target’s spell has blocked your attack.
In the wake of the near miss, my heart pounded furiously, and my adrenaline surged. That was too close, I thought. Staying under, I waited for my pulse to slow and reflexively cloaked myself.
You are hidden.
The shadows wrapped comfortingly around me like a warm blanket, and almost instantly, I felt calm descend. I was far from safe, but as much as water wa...
2022-12-15 09:32:33 +0000 UTC View PostIt took me two hours to reach the forest grove.
Although the swamp teemed with life—mostly insects and creatures too small to pose a threat—there were a few larger occupants, but with mindsight to guide me, I was able to detour around them without trouble.
Still, the trip was far from pleasant.
Lacking any form of higher ground to ease my journey, I was forced to ...
2022-12-13 08:52:06 +0000 UTC View PostWood creaked and broke, causing my foot to plunge through the stairs more than once. I didn’t let it slow me down. Each time, I caught myself before I could stumble and raced onwards.
I reached the third floor still encased in blood flies.
Your health has decreased to 91%!
Second by second, the volume of the swarm’s buzzing increased. I assumed it was the ...
2022-12-05 08:59:00 +0000 UTC View PostI stopped when the street I was following south through the plague quarter came to an abrupt end. I’d reached the saltmarsh district.
Before me was the marsh itself, it stretched out as far as the eye could see, miles of brackish water filled to the bursting with bullrushes and other vegetation. What I had not expected, though, were the derelict buildings. There were entire blocks of th...
2022-12-02 06:23:01 +0000 UTC View PostI awoke early the next morning and, without delay, exited the room. I had an entire ‘free’ day before I left for the valley, and I intended to put the time to good use. Making my way through the hotel, I deliberated on what to do today.
Unfortunately, my goals had multiplied rapidly.
There was the hidden sector in the guardian tower to explore, Ceruvax to find, and Kolath’s my...
2022-11-29 10:02:37 +0000 UTC View PostLevel: 131. Rank: 13. Current Health: 100%.
Stamina: 100%. Mana: 100%. Psi: 100%.
Species: Human. Lives Remaining: 2.
True Marks (hidden): Pack-alpha.
False Marks (fabricated): Lesser Shadow, Lesser Light, Lesser Dark.
Active Buffs
Damage reduction: 0% life and death magic, +5% air, earth, fire, water, shadow, light, and dark...
2022-11-27 23:00:59 +0000 UTC View PostYou have acquired 5 x rank 4 disease protection crystals.
You have lost 100 gold.
After I’d rattled off my list, Kesh laid the protection crystals I requested on the table—but nothing else.
I looked at her questioningly.
The old merchant sighed. “As much as it pains me to say this, but if you’re going to visit the brotherhood, yo...
2022-11-27 07:50:39 +0000 UTC View PostKesh set down a familiar-looking thin film of metal on the desk. It was the same emporium catalog I’d used before. Scanning the sheet, I saw it contained a list of skills.
Picking up the catalog, I read avidly.
The Emporium’s List of Void Skillbooks
Cost: 200 gold each. Tier: Master.
Constitution skillbooks:
I exited the hotel with my thoughts in turmoil.
My conversations with Loken never seemed to turn out the way I envisioned. Once again, the Shadow Power had me questioning what I knew. Was there a kernel of truth behind his words?
Had the ancients been monsters?
I wasn’t sure, but ultimately, I didn’t think it mattered. Whatever the Primes of old had done, I was not them. M...
2022-11-21 07:16:59 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's note: Hi all, the next chapter is finally ready. This one took me a few days to write. For many reasons, it was a difficult chapter to finish, and I rewrote it more than once. Hopefully, it all makes sense the way it is!
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“We’ve nothing to talk about,” I said grimly.
Loken sat...
2022-11-13 12:28:18 +0000 UTC View Post“We heard everything,” Tartar confirmed. His gold-flecked eyes brimming with fury, the minotaur kept his gaze pinned on Loken. “Your intrigues know no end, jester.”
The stick-thin figure standing in the minotaur’s shadow waved his neon-green appendages in the air, signifying agreement. There was a healthy dose of trembling rage mixed in the gesture, too, I thought. Tartar’s co...
2022-11-09 12:49:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi all,
The audiobook of World Nexus is finally out! You can find it here: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0BLT5P848
2022-11-09 05:35:48 +0000 UTC View PostLess than an hour later, Shael came running back with a response. It read simply, ‘I will be there.’ There was no signature, but I knew who it had to be from—Loken.
I smiled in relief. I’d been sure Loken was in the city and paying close attention to events. The mantises’ ambush at the dungeon exit portal confirmed that, but I hadn’t been quite as certain he would agr...
2022-11-08 12:08:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe legion commander was a tall man with graying hair and a stern demeanor. He took one look at the token before bowing respectfully and motioning me to follow him into the palace.
The commander refused to answer any of my questions, though, and after leading me into an empty anteroom, he spat out a terse set of instructions. “Stay here, and whatever you do, don’t leave.” His piece ...
2022-11-04 06:25:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Book 3 of the Grand Game is finally out on amazon! With its release, I've put book 1 and 2 on Kindle Unlimited too.
Happy reading,
Tom
2022-11-01 18:02:57 +0000 UTC View PostSurprisingly, the suspicion that Loken knew the truth of my heritage did not dishearten me. On the contrary, my first reaction was one of relief.
Ever since meeting the trickster, I’d felt as if he toyed with me. I’d never been quite able to trust him nor take his actions at face value. Always, the Shadow Power’s apparent generosity had seemed to be tainted by hidden motives. But no...
2022-11-01 16:54:43 +0000 UTC View PostI awoke with a gasp, my eyes wide and unseeing, and my breath coming in uncontrolled bursts. I was alive. No. I was dead. I’d died. Brutally staked through the heart.
No.
I had died, yes—but by my own hand. Or at the hand of my minion rather. Death had been preferable. Now though, I was alive. Rising shakily to my feet, I studied my surroundings.
I was in the same...
2022-10-31 05:57:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe room exited into a lightless corridor.
There were a pair of doors on the right and another two on the left. Hurrying forward, I tried the first.
Unfortunately, it was locked.
Damn, I thought and checked my mindsight. As far as I could tell, none of the rooms beyond were occupied. However, the same could not be said of the chamber behind me. It was filling quickly ...
2022-10-28 08:01:24 +0000 UTC View PostYou have entered sector 1 of the Forever Kingdom.
I re-entered Nexus to find the city bathed in light. Behind me, the portal’s glow faded—indication enough that the way back to the fifth level was sealed. Squinting in the harsh glare of the noonday sun, I studied the square.
It was as deserted as the day I’d entered the dungeon.
I shook my head ruefully....
2022-10-27 12:09:53 +0000 UTC View PostUnsurprisingly, finding out how the Houses had fallen sent Kolath into a spiral of rage.
For all that the guardian claimed to be a construct, he was unlike any other construct I’d encountered. Granted, those didn’t number very many, but I’d assumed they were all lifeless, mechanical beings with little autonomy of their own.
Whatever Kolath was, he was not that.
The guard...
2022-10-20 05:59:17 +0000 UTC View PostI stared at the Game message, aghast. Awakening—?
It was not the sort of response I’d been expecting. Not at all. My head jerked left and right, searching the walled compound for any sign of change. The long grass remained still, the mounds of white powder sat unmoving, and the crystal gate stayed open.
Nothing stirred.
... 2022-10-19 05:33:55 +0000 UTC View Post