Author's note: OKAY, I LIED. Sorry... 'A Lich's Trust' is going to be three parts. I keep cutting things out to try and make this part glide... but I'm realizing that my "move on to the next thing" mentality is getting in the way of organic character relationships. I'm staying here for a bit longer so that we can focus on Saint B and Gio before I slam us back into study/end of semester.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This chapter grew too big, so I'm splitting it up into two. The next half should be out soon.
__________
All Gio had wanted in the present moment was sleep. Sweet, glorious sleep. It seemed that his undying, inhuman mentor had other plans.
In the grand entrance hall, Chandrika was currently reporting to the Headmaster and a team of Inquisitors about the ...
2025-12-08 20:27:13 +0000 UTC View PostHey all!
Just wanted to post a brief update about Chapter 101. The long story short is that it'll be out very soon, probably tomorrow. (I'll be doing a bit more writing tonight... but I'm not going to pressure myself too hard to finish it.)
For additional details: I've realized that I have a TON of stuff that I wanted to address before the end of Book 1 that just are not fitting ...
- This is the interlude that was promised pre-dungeon. I imagine that most of you have read it already, but in case you haven't, here it is! I spent some time giving this chapter a hearty helping of polish, so hopefully it's worth a re-read even if you had done so previously. If you have already read the chapter, and don't feel like re-read...
2025-12-01 13:18:51 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's note: second chapter of the night. Go read 98 first if you haven't already.
_____
A faint rustling in the tall grass was the only sound in the dead quiet of the small pond.
“Oh come ON!” Gio grunted, readying his spellbook. He was tired, but wouldn’t be going down without a fight.
A pair of beady eyes emerged first, reflecting the burnin...
2025-12-01 04:17:51 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's note will be in the comments!
_____
Water spilled out of the tower, releasing the group from their bubbles.
“Whoa,” Hatra uttered.
“Whoa, indeed.” Chandrika echoed.
Gio held the undulating sigil between his outstretched palms. The glowing symbol resonated with the mana of its creator, casting a scintillating cascade of light that refrac...
2025-12-01 00:28:44 +0000 UTC View PostAs he moved away from the necklace, Gio could no longer see the strange red strands.
Strings… this fragment in the cover of my spellbook… what does it mean?
Too much was happening too quickly. What had initially been planned as a simple, if not risky, trip to an obscure and relatively unexplored dungeon had quickly spiraled into a confusing mess of questions...
2025-11-25 02:47:11 +0000 UTC View PostAlthough the spirits had been kind enough to heal their bodies, the tiredness still plagued their minds. Chandrika sat in the shallow water, uncaring, as she peeled off the bandages on her feet to reveal smooth skin. The young sage sighed deeply, cradling her head in her arms as she rested them on her knees.
“I am ready for bed.” Chandrika groaned.
Jean emerged from ...
2025-11-19 01:27:56 +0000 UTC View PostGio sat cross-legged in the mud, dazed and armless.
“Trio,” Gio deadpanned. “Is that really what you’re going with?”
His newest doppelganger fished through the mud with improvised shard chopsticks. He picked through bits of demolished stone and broken mirrors, successfully retrieving … a disembodied nose.
“What? Are you complaining about your own nami...
2025-11-18 03:03:32 +0000 UTC View PostAUTHOR'S NOTE:
Been a wild ride on this chapter. I know, as of last update, I said all was well and that I was rewriting the chapter. Well, plot twist, I re-wrote it another couple of times aaaaaaand I'm sick now. I might need to go to the walk-in clinic tomorrow after work because I can hardly eat anything without horrible stomach pain. Oh well!
I'll post a comment after...
Good evening if you're in the same time zone as me!
I hope everyone is holding up well, what with all of the stuff going on with world news (yikes) and with the weather getting a bit colder. I'm doing okay, but have had some (minor) interruptions to the schedule that I've been trying to keep as of recent. Nothing to worry about, but certainly small obstacles that get in the way of writin...
2025-11-04 01:42:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe sanctuary looked different under the awning of torrential downpour.
Dark clouds filled the sky, and grit-filled rain battered down against the metallic spire of the sacred space. Muddy water roiled underfoot, blades and fangs forming in the froth.
A languid beacon of gold marched resolutely against the gloom as Chandrika’s procession stomped a slow cir...
2025-10-20 01:36:13 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's note: Might give this one another pass in the morning, but I need to go to bed and I'm mostly happy with it for now. Maybe we touch up some minor stuff, but I think it'll largely be safe to post here.
__________
Chandrika knew that the fight was not over.
The rhythm of the drum beat through her body like electricity, compelling her to move. She tri...
2025-10-16 02:28:20 +0000 UTC View PostNobody was in good shape after the icy onslaught. Gio was especially covered in scratches, having taken the brunt of the assault to protect Chandrika so that she could keep up her domain.
Panting, Hatra wiped down the red-hot nozzle of her implement with a cool rag that hissed against the burning metal. “That’s the second time I put us all in danger today.” She said, firming h...
2025-10-15 00:44:50 +0000 UTC View PostAUTHOR'S NOTE:
This chapter has been a slugging match for me.
( but like... the good kind. the I-will-be-a-better-author-because-of-this kind, not the why am I writing kind.)
I've re-written this probably five times (not exaggerating!) and made hundreds of small edits. I decided to burn the 2AM oil today because I have tomorrow (today...) off and Chapter ...
2025-10-13 06:17:23 +0000 UTC View PostAUTHOR'S NOTE (Please Read):
I'm going insane trying to write the rest of Sanctuary.
It is what it is, I could try to apologize... but I know that it's no substitute for posting. I needed to write something that wasn't about the dungeon arc, so I wrote a little disconnected low-stakes chapter about a little piece of the Ringed City that we've not really zoomed in on yet.
Author's note: I've read all of your comments (And thank you for leaving them!), and I have decided that I will not be doing a mass-release.
The deciding factor is that I'm not sure I'd be able to accurately give a good ETA on when chapters would release. I spent three days this week on the first 1000 words of this chapter... and I don't want to go radio silent for too long without post...
Hello!
So... I believe that my readers are pretty smart. You all know that there's probably going to be a high-stakes couple of chapters coming up. I'm thinking about delaying posting here until I have all of them ready, for the following reasons:
-I write slow. Suspense between chapters is going to be rough.
-If they aren't posted, I'm free to be a perfectionist and giv...
2025-09-18 03:03:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe unchanging grey sky of the dungeon did not reflect the true state of the sky beyond its borders. Nighttime was beginning in the real world.
“How much further?” Jean asked.
Although the group was becoming more and more accustomed to fighting every group of Telchines that they saw, exhaustion was beginning to set in. Sapphire was fighting back a yawn, and even the ...
2025-09-18 02:54:49 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Traveling this weekend. I'm either going to get a ton of writing done or none at all. As always, I endeavor not to make promises that I cannot keep... We shall see. On a different note, is everyone playing Silksong? I sank a few hours in before my early flight this morning... woof. What a game. I am a big fan of the first Hollow Knight, and I'm sure that I'm gonna love the sequel.
_...
2025-09-05 13:56:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe combined groups had stopped to stare at a tiny pink cupcake in a clear glass box with a still flame paused mid-flicker atop its sole candle.
“Okay, but if it’s in stasis, why is light still emitting from the fire?” Gio asked. “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“Theatrics. The light from the fire is added in after the preservation matrix to enhance the display, to ...
2025-09-02 00:35:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello again!
I've also been spending some time trying to draft out a little map for my setting. It's VERY early in development, so don't think that this is at all a finished product.
Greetings! I wrote a little something that I wanted to share with my Patreon friends. It's just a short little piece of lore that doesn't quite matter to the story of MMM at this time. Since it's not a spoiler, I'll be forthcoming- Everything you're about to read is technically wrong. I wanted to dive into the concept of 'truth' being subjective... and the dangers of being too wrapped up in fa...
2025-08-27 01:16:26 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Next chapter, we're for sure going to be out of the shop.
_______________
A behemoth with golden-blond hair and clad in gilded steel tackled Jean to the floor in a bear hug.
“Jean!” screamed Donovan Goldwatch, third in line to inherit the throne of the Ringed City.
“Oof. You’re in full plate, Donny.” coughed Jean.
Donovan and Jean d...
2025-08-26 01:04:01 +0000 UTC View PostA/N - We're wrapping up in the shop soon. I didn't initially plan on these scenes spanning more than one or two chapters, but I'm fairly happy with how they ended up.
_____ _____ _____
Gio was stunned.
“Is Lot that dangerous? I… had no idea. What have I done?” Gio stammered.
“By all accounts, The Prophet of Chaos is a kind and eccentric old man. It is...
2025-08-21 02:06:47 +0000 UTC View Post“Why did the spirits give me bug eggs for a reward?” Gio asked. The Shopkeeper sat still for a moment before bursting out with polite laugh
“Why did the spirits give me bug eggs for a reward?” Gio asked.
The Shopkeeper sat still for a moment before bursting out with polite laughter.
“You are very entertaining. I knew your name would be worth the price...
2025-08-18 23:14:30 +0000 UTC View PostRising from the depths in a spray of water, a rickety-looking boat burst prow-first out into the dungeon. It righted itself with a splash, creating waves that caused everyone on Jean’s boat to hold onto the sides. The sole inhabitant of the boat was a wooden shack that looked like it couldn’t be much bigger than an outhouse.
<The Dungeon Shop invites you inside.> 2025-08-16 17:22:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Sapphire had Gio pinned in place.
“But the rest of the team is still-”
“I don’t care.” Sapphire interrupted.
“But-”
Sapphire held Gio’s head in both of her hands, forcing him to look directly at her.
“Gio. You did great. You turned this whole battle in our favor in a single decisive action. You also exposed yourself to close-quarters c...
2025-08-14 19:35:00 +0000 UTC View PostBetween the lazy grey clouds of fog, a formation of scaled hides cut slow lines of wake through otherwise perfectly placid water.
“That one. The one at the lead of the pack is the one marked for the quest.” Chandrika announced.
Sure enough, a moment after Chandrika spoke, Gio’s system highlighted the Telchine in the water with a prismatic outline of gold and red...
2025-08-12 15:10:39 +0000 UTC View PostAuthors note: hoo boy, Writer's block has been kicking my ass. I've been working on this chapter for a full two weeks now. I'm glad it's over- mainly because I think next chapter is gonna be coooooool.
__________
Gio was stowing away the rest of his macabre reagents into his non-spatial backpack with great difficulty.
“GrowlguuuUUUrgle” groaned his stomach...
2025-08-11 05:17:40 +0000 UTC View Post