Zachary Scott

Chapter 114 - The Outpost

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.

It was relatively large and wedged into the valley, but I thought it would be possible to walk the ...

Chapter 113 - Melee

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.

I ducked, shielding my face as bark pattered against my skin, each piece shocking me slightly as...

Chapter 112 - The Drop

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 Boons were suddenly cut off. My passives were inactive. All my actives but one were gone. And maybe ...

Chapter 111 - The Eve of the Tourney 

The 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 subtle. Even in this death march, the social order had to be maintained.

Final selections were ...

Chapter 110 - Strong Foundations

It 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 task has been completed! All members will immediately exit their rooms and bear witness!”

Hoot ...

Amazon Pre-order and Launch Date!

Hey 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 the support would be greatly appreciated. Just incase you've missed it in all the updates across the m...

Quick notes! We're publishing again, camping trip, etc

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 staying at $1/month until Book 3 is finished. So many of you supported me during the hiatus, and this jus...

Chapter 109 - Noble Intentions

Vitus

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 on his throne—a massive chair carved from a single block of granite that made his three-foot frame ...

Chapter 108 - Settling In

Sleeping 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 accomplished a month’s worth of progress in the short amount of time.

I rolled out of the c...

Chapter 107 - Holding Back

The 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 hold off a siege, and archer slits that currently served as windows.

Curiously, the old walls...

Chapter 106 - Unseen Watcher

My 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 corestones. They would be full of nasty surprises, and I needed to keep that in mind.

“Remember,” I...

Chapter 105 - The Illusionist

We'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 fast walk, trying to blend with the crowd while keeping alert for any sign of the black cloaks our pu...

Chapter 104 - Ask Me How I Know

Massian 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 the wavy and curled black hair and beard, the trenchcoat, and the high boots, made him look like a ...

Chapter 103 - On The Ropes

I 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 spotted a fishing ship full of tomte arrive. A pile of the crab squids was heaped on the ship's upper dec...

Chapter 102 - Shieldy Guy

Lyria

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.

Brynn and I agreed to take shifts watching the common room on the off chance that we caught s...

Chapter 101 - Suspiciously Successful

I 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, I saw adventurers lounging, chatting, or possibly strategizing for missions. I saw others speaking ...

Chapter 100 - The Tournament Battleground

Talia

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 staring at the tournament grounds for the grand tourney of Thrask. A tourney the God King himself would w...

Chapter 99 - Welcome to The Guild

While 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 and went. Maybe I didn't know the exact nature of the challenge ahead of me yet, but I did know gath...

Chapter 98 - Finally Clean

The 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 laughed, ate, and silverware clattered on plates.

After the horrors of Beastden, I had to admit I wa...

Chapter 97 - In The Beginning, There Were Two

I 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 unnecessary, ritualistic hand gestures just to get under his feathers before finally touching the token w...

Chapter 96 - Hoot and the Loot

I 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 smelled just before a thunderstorm. 

Pebble was beside me as I sat cross-legged on the f...

Chapter 95 - The Guild Hall

I 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 document all the badass titles I was collecting.

The tavern common room was cozy and dim, lit by a f...

Chapter 94 - Surprise

Grimbo 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 source of dark mana to feed the thing. 

Once we entered the larger chamber at the end of the...

Chapter 93 - Back to Grimbo

“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 enlarged until it felt like it took up my entire view.

“Very extraordinary,” he said again, hi...

Chapter 92 - The Aspirant's Guild

“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 at the crowd which still surrounded us and the pissed off man with swords for arms made me wonder i...

Chapter 91 - Potential (Book 3 - Chapter 1)

Thrask 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 powerful cursed bedroll, nearly dying dozens of times, facing Rake and his murderous shadow magic and...

Chapter 90 - Book 1 Epilogue

Bloody 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 mission and from the carapax pheromones, but it was money-well-spent.

The horned bastard wasn’t r...

Chapter 89 - Just the Beginning

Brynn

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 smells and the comparatively open air.

Lyria emerged behind me. “Where is everyone?” she ask...

Chapter 88 - Strange Encounters

Rock

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.

Dealing with the bastards… I still didn’t enjoy it. But my people had a saying. “If it’s ...

Chapter 87 - Light at the End of the Tunnel

Vitus, 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 face of a man who was planning to rush to his death for a chance to kill us. At least I didn’t think ...