Sorry I was out of it for a little while everyone. I got covid while I was at DragonCon, and it laid me out hard. I was in and out of the hospital for a bit, since my lungs don't work the greatest. They only have about eighty percent capacity on a good day, and things that a normal person could shrug off really knock me out for a bit. I'm still not back to one hundred pe...
2023-09-25 23:13:32 +0000 UTC View PostIt didn’t take long for the ghouls to ready themselves. They were smart enough to wait and cluster together to rush the gate until the last possible moment, only giving me a few seconds to react. Unfortunately for them, a few seconds was all I needed.
The wood used to make the palisade was all fresh-cut timber from the forest. Not onl...
2023-09-25 21:15:47 +0000 UTC View PostCalling our fallback point a castle was using some pretty strong words where they didn’t belong. When someone said the word ‘castle,’ it most definitely didn’t describe what I was seeing when I looked at our fortifications. Stacked boulders with extra parts would be a much better way to describe what we were working with.
“Murphy, g...
2023-08-27 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe screams of the tortured captives made it impossible for Gleason to concentrate on the designs in front of him. He knew it was necessary for their cooperation, but his underlings weren’t nearly as effective as he was at getting what he wanted from people. They just didn’t have the same passion for the art that he did.
Being a ...
2023-08-24 16:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostWarning the camp was my first priority, but I needed to do it without getting shredded or isolated from the others. Linking up with them and fighting a running retreat toward our fallback location was the best choice, especially since I had no idea how many ghouls were running around. Running straight into camp would only spring the trap on myself,...
2023-08-23 22:16:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Somebody on here is illegally stealing and posting my content on a website that I didn't give them permission to post on, and they are risking an Amazon bot finding it and closing my account. If that happens, I can't be an author anymore, and no one wins. So please, knock it off, before we are all screwed. And for the love of all things good and holy, take the picture with my daughter on it dow...
2023-08-15 19:31:25 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m not alone out here. I have a group of friends I can’t abandon just because you want a shortcut through the forest.” I pulled myself free, surprising her with my own strength. “What I can do is tell you how to get through the forest quickly. Does that work?”
“That’s…that’s fine, yes. Thank yo...
2023-08-15 08:08:22 +0000 UTC View PostI didn’t have a solid gauge for how powerful a Green Warden might be, and I wanted to meet one in person. According to how Jess was acting, they were no pushovers. But, I wasn’t exactly a pushover myself, either. I had long ago maxed out the system granted to me when I was sucked through a portal and forced to become a world-hopping patsy...
2023-08-08 06:01:38 +0000 UTC View PostPain was the best teacher I had ever known. Not because it taught me what I should do, but because it showed me exactly what not to do. Like, say, try to teach a barmaid lycanthrope shifter some magic spells with the potential to wipe out entire buildings.
“Okay, nice try, but this time you should be sure to aim the cone o...
2023-08-08 05:59:19 +0000 UTC View PostChilly mountain air from the north blew through the trees, causing the trio of witches to shiver. The presence of the supernaturally beautiful vampire in their midst didn’t help curb their discomfort, and the dense power coming from her magical staff cowed all but their most rebellious thoughts.
“You still don’t have the goblins in ...
2023-07-24 13:53:24 +0000 UTC View PostThe city of Greendown was old, but it had been built upon ancient ruins from a civilization that had been even older, and far more advanced. The integration of the aging sewer system left by those who had come before had cut down on outbreaks of disease, and helped Greendown flourish, even after its borders stretched beyond the bounds of the ancient rui...
2023-07-24 13:48:09 +0000 UTC View PostThe next two days were a struggle in patience for Grant. For once, both Sarge and Grant were wrong. There were no huge monsters to fight, and no hidden assassins to battle. Instead, traveling along the road was incredibly boring. On the upside, it allowed him to heal, and get his armor and equipment put back together.
Another bonus was the chance...
2023-07-12 18:45:19 +0000 UTC View Post<Wake up!>
Grant groaned, trying to rub his aching head. He couldn’t remember why he hurt so bad, but it probably had something to do with the choking dust, smoke, and flames all around him.
<If you don’t get up, right now, you’re going to die.>
Sarge’s no-nonsense tone was like a bucket of cold water dumped on his...
2023-07-12 18:44:11 +0000 UTC View PostRunning past the cells where the rest of the members of the convoy were being held made Grant feel bad for leaving them, but he knew Sam and Evander would handle things quickly enough. Finding them an exit close to their wagons was the best help he could provide at the moment.
<Don’t forget, you are going to have to fight your way out of the gate once you get...
2023-06-21 16:03:35 +0000 UTC View PostGrant’s fall was broken by a very sturdy table. He bounced off of it, and somehow managed to roll his way under it before he could be crushed by the rest of the stones falling down around him. The other guards and two House Saturday assassins that had been waiting for him weren’t so lucky.
<I can’t believe that worked. You just crushed eight V...
2023-06-10 03:50:49 +0000 UTC View PostSomehow, no one had noticed Grant’s scramble over the wall. Even the ridiculous impact of him hitting the wall hadn’t brought the few men pacing the crenelations running. The voices coming from the other side of the door of the tower meant all that was about to change.
<If you move fast, you can clear the tower before they know what hit them. Do...
2023-06-09 23:50:24 +0000 UTC View PostAs Grant drew closer, he was tempted to shout for Sam, Adria, or even Evander. Something about the abandoned wagons told him it would be a bad idea. The draft animals stood there placidly in their harness, waiting for a command from drivers who were nowhere in sight. Without making it obvious, Grant tried to take a closer look, but he noticed several people ...
2023-06-09 23:48:57 +0000 UTC View Post“You know, it’s a real stroke of luck that I came across Chug like that, just as I needed him.” Grant was sitting in his room inside the inn, using his Apprentice Repair spell to fix all of the dents and dings his armor and gear had collected. “It’s almost like the fates want me to win.”
<I don’t think this is about you spe...
2023-06-09 23:47:21 +0000 UTC View Post“I still can’t believe you know Doug.” Chug took another drink of water before he dumped the rest of his cup over his head. The two of them were watching the last rays of sunset disappear over the horizon on a rooftop garden across the street from the inn Grant would be staying at for the night. After sparring for a gratuitous amount of time, the two o...
2023-06-07 22:55:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe city was much like the first one Grant had visited in District May. It was mostly buildings of glass and stone, intended to function as greenhouses. Instead of fruits and vegetables, this city seemed focused on herbs, spices, and various kinds of lettuce. Lots and lots of lettuce.
<Grant, I think I’ve never seen so much kale in all my life. &n...
2023-06-07 22:53:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe windows that overlooked the snow capped mountains had long-since been repaired, but the signs of the explosion that had rocked the room were still apparent. Scorched stone, blackened walls, and missing tapestries made the cold chamber feel even more unwelcoming than it had before.
“Milord, there’s still no word.” The messenger knel...
2023-05-22 22:49:03 +0000 UTC View PostEverything had been going perfectly. Gleason had left the village behind, and his scouts had brought him to where they had lost the trail for James Holden just in time for a beacon to light up the evening skies in the far distance. It was as if the Trinity was lighting the way for him. He could feel their gaze settle upon him, urging him upo...
2023-05-22 22:47:40 +0000 UTC View PostAs I got back to the others, it was clear they were all exhausted. We had been fighting for well over twenty minutes, maybe more. That kind of exertion would make anyone feel like they were about to fall over dead.
“Did you finish it?” Cross was the only one still steady on his feet, but the line of darkness on his wrist had grown ...
2023-05-22 22:45:53 +0000 UTC View PostThe aura device didn’t seem to bother the Warden as he came down the stairs. He was forced to deal with the undead trying to swarm him just as much as we were, but his whip sliced through them like they weren’t even there. It had to be powerfully enchanted, on top of him pushing a hefty amount of mana into it.
“James, I think that’s ...
2023-05-22 22:42:27 +0000 UTC View PostMagical flames crackled in the fireplace, casting harsh unnatural blue light across the room. They lacked any heat, but that made no difference to the inhabitants of the chamber. Arched windows overlooked beautiful snow capped mountains, where no human had stepped foot in living memory. The altitude made it impossible to survive for long, the ...
2023-05-22 22:38:38 +0000 UTC View Post“Commander Gleason, I think he’s fallen unconscious again.” The man wearing the uniform of the White Wardens, the investigative division dedicated to rooting out criminals violating the laws set forth by the guilds no matter where they might hide, dropped the mundane leather whip he was holding and glared at the man who had spoken to him.
“...
2023-05-22 22:37:33 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! Well, Wandering Warrior: Judge is done. It had to go through some major developmental editing, which is what I have been doing these past few weeks. Introducing the 'big bad guy' as the lich in the last third of the book was too long of a wait, so it was necessary to change some things by doing a prologue. I also had a bit of an epiphany. While Wandering Warrior i...
2023-05-22 22:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostWe only had a moment’s warning that more undead were coming, when a rain of pebbles dropped from the hole we had just fallen through. The first thing that came through was a zombie that was little more than a skeleton, and the fall caused it to shatter into pieces. Jess backed away from the new avenue of attack, cornering herself in the back of ...
2023-05-10 03:09:52 +0000 UTC View PostWe made it to the cheese factory well before dark, but the heavy clouds made it seem otherwise. It couldn’t have been much past four in the afternoon, yet everyone except Jess and I were nearly stumbling around in the dark. She had stayed back with Murphy and Cross while Leedy and I had moved up to check the front of the long stone building.
... 2023-04-24 17:57:41 +0000 UTC View PostGleason slapped the bear shifter again, dropping the burly mayor to his knees. “I’m tired of your excuses, lycan. I’m tired of these little, worthless villages, and their worthless little people. I’m tired of chasing this worthless man around this stupid forest, and I’m quickly running out of the capability to care about collateral...
2023-04-24 17:55:28 +0000 UTC View Post