I was frowning as we entered the market district. It was almost as large as the city center, with its own square and rows of stores in three directions. The streets and shopfronts looked like they’d just be cleaned. This was a place of wealth that offered premium items, and yet I still couldn’t get my mind off of earlier. There was still som...
2024-05-20 19:25:59 +0000 UTC View PostWhen we took the elevator back to the city, we came back out at the same place as before. Even after paying Gren handsomely, we still had a lot of money to burn, and I was eager to spend it. Unfortunately, all of the establishments surrounding us were all places to eat and drink.
After a brief exploration, we decided to ask for directions....
2024-05-17 17:39:51 +0000 UTC View PostThe light from the sun blinded me as I climbed out of the manhole cover with Hugo on my shoulder. Shocked gasps nearby followed, which suggested that people emerging from the sewers weren’t an everyday occurrence. As my vision adjusted, I saw what the problem was.
Gren had taken us to the city center as promised, but the spot he’d chos...
2024-05-17 10:35:33 +0000 UTC View PostThe putrid smell of the sewer wasn’t something we got used to. It lingered with us every step of the way, like an unwelcome guest. Though it was more fair to say that we were the unwelcome ones who were eager to leave.
The sewer tunnels were dark, dank, and utterly maze-like. I had no idea how Gren was navigating them. Yet he strolled co...
2024-05-14 19:59:12 +0000 UTC View PostAn hour passed by with us stuck in the well. Nobody else had entered the courtyard since we’d arrived, but it was difficult to gauge how long it would take for the goblins to give up their search. Still, we couldn’t stay here much longer. The sun was climbing higher, and eventually someone was going to want to use this well for its intended ...
2024-05-11 17:22:38 +0000 UTC View PostHugo and I continued down the first empty street. We had to walk in the middle of the road as refuse filled the sidewalk, further contributing to the image that the place was abandoned. Hugo was perched on Norris’s shoulder and the goblin spirit summon had his knife out, ready for anything, as they walked beside me.
“I’m just saying ...
2024-05-08 20:41:56 +0000 UTC View Post“Welcome to the Strand,” Roan said as the elevator doors opened. We stepped out into what appeared to be an empty desert. “This foundation floor combines the monster difficulties from floors 65 down to 55.” He stopped and glanced up at the sky. “Ah, you guys are lucky. We picked a good time. It’s early morning. Not too hot and not to...
2024-05-07 19:12:38 +0000 UTC View Post[Lucas Hudson, Class: Blood Reaver, Level: 110, Grade: F]
[You have three Grade Evolution choices. Choose wisely as this process cannot be undone once a decision has been made.]
[Transition to Grade E has begun.]
[Here are your choices. Please note that all previous ski...
2024-05-05 21:40:58 +0000 UTC View PostWords like ‘trapped forever’ and ‘dying of thirst’ were soon thrown around casually. Apparently Roan considered my situation more dire than he’d first led on.
He stared at the ring of stones as if some answer would magically jump out at him.
Having none of my own, I was forced to silently wait for his epiphany.
Hugo h...
2024-05-05 10:48:13 +0000 UTC View PostThe Grade Evolution room wasn’t what I expected.
Inside the large room, a polished wooden floor stamped with a spiral pattern led to red painted walls tinged with gold at the edges. The middle of the room was empty, but old and expensive furniture decorated three of the corners, while the fourth corner contained a fully stocked bar.
<... 2024-04-21 14:21:13 +0000 UTC View PostAlmost everyone we knew had just been killed.
The golden elevator doors closed and Hugo and I traveled down to the next floor. Just like that it was over.
Neither of us knew what to say or how to react. Neither of us knew where we were going or what we’d find once we got there.
It was nauseating.
I tightened my fist aro...
2024-04-06 14:57:57 +0000 UTC View PostThe first thing I noticed when coming out on the other side of the portal was that Vhar didn’t follow us through. Instead, the portal disappeared, and we were left standing in an open field. The jungle in the distance suggested that we were still on the big island. Still, I thought it strange he’d leave now after everything he’d said about...
2024-03-29 16:45:53 +0000 UTC View Post“I was wondering if you’d show up again,” I said as I followed the cat through a dark cave.
“I’ve been a little busy,” she replied tightly. “Several of the Queen’s planets were attacked in a simultaneous strike and thus far, finding the culprit has proved elusive.”
I wondered if she knew about the conversation I’d...
2024-03-24 16:40:15 +0000 UTC View PostThere wasn’t much time before our monkey army was decimated by those guns. Sebastian, Hugo, and I hurried around to another part of the beach. I’d told them the plan as we went and they were all onboard with it.
Ostorox, Hugo’s large and terrifying void spawn spirit summon, was brought out first. Hugo commanded it to fill its mouth w...
2024-03-20 18:28:16 +0000 UTC View PostHugo's impassioned speech went for over five minutes before he realized that he was starting to lose the crowd. The monkeys weren’t known for their patience and when he noticed it; he began wrapping it up.
“And on this day, let it be said we will not go quietly into the night!” his voice boomed. “Out there on the battlefield is glo...
2024-03-16 15:25:06 +0000 UTC View Post“Hold, my children,” said a hidden deep voice to the monkeys to try and stay their hand. It echoed around the massive chamber, but the monkeys were screeching so loudly that they drowned it out. Instead, they continued towards the stairs. Ready to climb up and tear us apart.
Next to us on either end were two large braziers burning gent...
2024-03-11 17:13:21 +0000 UTC View PostI returned to Sebastian, looking troubled.
“Guess I know how yours went,” he said.
But I wasn’t disappointed about not getting a prize. My mind was focused on the other things Samara had said. She’d said that a war was coming. So who was fighting with her? If it involved other gods, then it would invariably bleed over into th...
2024-03-10 17:16:43 +0000 UTC View PostBoth of us hurtled down the tunnel as fast as possible. When it comes to things like threatening to release a cloud of poison gas, you can never tell if the System is joking or not. Usually it isn’t.
The tunnel led us to a small chamber that appeared to be a part of an underground temple. There were six stone doors in front of us. Each d...
2024-03-09 17:13:08 +0000 UTC View Post“How many do you think are out there now?” Sebastian asked me.
We were sat in the pit wondering how long it would take before the hunting party eventually found us.
“It’s still just the four,” I replied. “They can’t call for further reinforcements. It’s part of their rules. The only reason why there’s four out there...
2024-03-07 17:06:12 +0000 UTC View PostThere was no time left to lose. I followed the direction that Tanver Vhar had pointed in and found the headless statue with the two crossed swords. I ran past it and tried to keep in a straight line, which is harder than it sounds in a jungle. There was nothing to use as a guide except the sun, which I kept over my left shoulder.
Eventuall...
2024-03-07 12:01:39 +0000 UTC View PostI turned to the source of the voice and what I saw caused me to involuntarily take a step back.
There was an eight-foot tall, muscular, white alien sat in a comfortable leather chair. He was completely hairless with pure black eyes and a short, bat-like nose. Perhaps in an attempt to be disarming, he was holding a glass of wine in one hand...
2024-03-05 17:55:27 +0000 UTC View PostIt’s day now. I know that because the sun was kind enough to stare directly into my face. The bright light shocked me back into consciousness just in time for me to watch myself being hauled across the sand.
I’d arrived at the island where I was going to be hunted. I couldn’t see much from the sac I was trapped in, but it looked simi...
2024-03-04 17:01:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe Captain watched me step into the makeshift arena. His eyes roamed over my armor and cloak. Assessing me to predict how I’d fight. He’d had the benefit of seeing Daisy’s abilities before taking her on. So to him, I was a mystery.
That was good. It meant I’d have at least a couple of surprises waiting for him. One of which might ...
2024-02-25 16:25:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey, just letting you guys know that Blood for Power book 1 is out on amazon both as a professionally edited ebook and as an audiobook.
Amazon (US): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSX5S2V6
Audible: 2024-02-20 14:09:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Spears appeared in the hands of the Shrikon that surrounded us. We had only a few seconds before we were butchered. And to add insult to injury, the Sea King yawned and looked away. Too bored to even watch the execution he’d just ordered.
I had to do something. We couldn’t run and we couldn’t fight, but there must be something that I...
2024-02-16 17:43:57 +0000 UTC View PostHelpless, the Shrikon carried me deeper into the depths of the ocean. The sac that I was trapped in did more than just capture me and nullify my powers, it also protected me. Even encased in this thick liquid, I was being magically fed a steady stream of oxygen. I was also protected from the ocean’s temperature, so wherever they were taking us...
2024-02-13 17:42:51 +0000 UTC View PostThe next several hours passed by peacefully. Most of us spent that time on the deck either conversing or assisting with the sailing of the ship. We even rotated turns manning the wheel to steer, though Pete warned us that it wasn’t as fun as it looked. And he was right. Keeping the ship in a particular direction on the open ocean was about as ...
2024-02-07 16:38:51 +0000 UTC View PostI found Daisy on the deck of the ship. Not working, but staring out at the ocean. It was odd. I expected her to have her hands full to keep the ship sailing. Still, if she wasn’t busy, then this was the perfect opportunity to ask her about her own experience fighting with a Shrikon.
She smiled when she saw me, but her expressi...
2024-01-31 16:19:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe area below the deck was dark, but my eyes adjusted quickly. Sebastian was behind me holding an axe and Hugo came last. Between the three of us, I felt confident that we could handle whatever we found down there. But Hemi, who was still unconscious from earlier, didn’t have a lot of time.
I rushed down the steps, and the others follow...
2024-01-20 20:20:50 +0000 UTC View PostAfter my speech, everyone departed in high spirits. But I watched as Hugo turned and flew back down below deck without a word. That’s when I knew we still needed to talk.
Unsurprisingly, I found him in the kitchen. His squat goblin spirit summon Norris was going through the bottom cupboards while his taller Archer summon took the high on...
2024-01-16 20:29:36 +0000 UTC View Post