The scent of blood and mildew hung heavy in the air. I held a small spark of violet flame in my hand, keeping it covered, trying to manage the light, so it only illuminated our immediate surroundings. My heart had been racing just minutes ago on our approach to the crypt, but now that we were inside, it was slow, and steady. I wore ...
2021-11-11 05:22:46 +0000 UTC View PostThe chamber was hexagonal. Its floor comprised a thin glass-like surface, and beyond its transparency was endless darkness below. I recognized it immediately as the void that I had returned to, so many times. The walls were painted in a vibrant collage of crimson, violet, and indigo. Depictions of horned figures on either side start...
2021-11-03 04:44:21 +0000 UTC View Post“The trials of Infaris are known for this. Pulling in individuals from different points in history, allowing them to collide. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” The infernal seemed irritable at himself for not realizing it sooner. “The amount of ...
2021-10-30 02:12:24 +0000 UTC View PostStartled and shaking from the close call, it took a long time for my mind to correctly interpret what my eyes were seeing. The infernal before me wasn’t a younger version of Ralakos. He’d looked identical at first glance, but as I took him in more and more, the differences became more stark. His mouth was sterner, and his eyebrows more defin...
2021-10-20 08:28:04 +0000 UTC View PostIt stemmed from the sanctum’s reputation. Rumors that hadn’t reflected reality. I had been told—originally by Morthus, then practically everyon...
2021-10-19 01:48:00 +0000 UTC View Post“It felt like it took months to get down that mountain,” Jorra complained. But his words didn’t hold the same bite as before, feeling more as if they were directed at the sanctum itself than any of us. “Also, we’re underground. And yet, big snowy mountains. It makes no sense.”
“Oh?” Bell piped up, her eyes crin...
2021-10-15 21:56:00 +0000 UTC View PostHi. It’s been a while. Short version, I was nearly homeless for a bit, and managed to grab a place in a different state. Everything has settled now. Monarch has a publishing deal in the works, and I’m committed to the story, so we’ll be pushing hard to get back to a consistent output. Here’s a quick recap on prior...
2021-09-12 17:44:43 +0000 UTC View PostThere was no grotesque shifting and splitting of limbs as there had been with the other abominations, nor did cowl hold any of the strange, disquieting animal quality of the infernal’s transformation. But his eyes grew a deep red, his body sagging and shuddering.
He glanced up at the cascading paper birds lit with demon-fire...
2021-07-01 22:50:03 +0000 UTC View PostAs I stared at the reward, I knew the system had me. If it was anything other than cold hard cash, I might have ignored it. But that didn’t change the fact that there were several elements that were causing for concern.
<Local User Notification:>
Rogue bounty at 1400 Vinewood Drive, due north.
Threat ...
2021-06-23 22:10:04 +0000 UTC View PostYou hate him because he resonates. A magician who lacks in sheer power, and resorts to tactics and manipulation of those weaker than him to achieve his goals. Children. Because he represents the logical conclusion of your abilities as they are now, taken as far as they can go. Based on what I know about you, about...
2021-06-23 22:01:51 +0000 UTC View PostFrigid air rushed by my ears as I fell into the newly created chasm. I pinwheeled in the air, rotating in vain, trying to visually locate the cowled magician. There was a red glow as I pushed mana through the inscription on my left arm, summoning fingers growing long and pointed as I summoned the demonic gauntlet, dark...
2021-06-23 01:53:21 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a slight distortion that left my hand like a tiny heatwave. Nothing happened. SWAT guy smiled and pulled the trigger. There was an ear shattering crack and the gun exploded. A flare ejected out the side closest to SWAT guy’s arm. A misfire. He shrieked and fell, slapping at the growing flames on his arm.
I gaw...
2021-06-18 17:38:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe number of questions I had left for Morthus bordered on the hundreds. But I was tired of leaving blood in my wake. The longer I stayed, the bigger risk I ran of repeating prior events. The cowled magician was out there, searching. He’d likely been spying on us for quite some time. Possibly seen the...
2021-06-18 17:32:47 +0000 UTC View PostAN: This is a new project. During hiatus, I was blocked and started writing something a little less intensive than Monarch for fun. I've never written a LITRPG and thought I'd try my hand at it. Basic description: What if a LITRPG took place in the real world, and fantasy elements started to blend over. It's darker in tone. Main influences are C...
2021-06-18 00:49:45 +0000 UTC View PostI felt that familiar tear within my mind again. I held on to the wooden railing of Morthus’s sick bed as the world reeled.
Despite knowing how far Thoth was beyond me, it was hard to accept. I had known that our fight would be difficult, nigh impossible. But knowing the cold reality made it all so much worse. So much about h...
2021-06-17 23:58:50 +0000 UTC View PostBut as I watched Thaddeus, sitting there smugly amongst the others, I realized that wasn't true. I could never forgive him for what he did.
It didn't help that he was very hands-on with Barion, giving him l...
2021-05-29 22:35:41 +0000 UTC View PostIt was an old legend that came to mind, as the infernal guards walked me down the never-ending hall. A story my mother had told me a different version of on more than one occasion. As far as I knew, it had no bearing in reality. Just another human fable couched in faux history. Yet, it came to mind just the same.
Iona was the goddess of tw...
2021-05-21 18:56:17 +0000 UTC View Post...
2021-05-17 23:14:02 +0000 UTC View PostBacchus looked different. It was hard to tell from if lines around his eyes were from growth general exhaustion. I’d seen him once after bringing him back to the enclave, then he’d entered the sanctum ahead of me. He carried himself differently now. When I’d approached him at the bookshop—before he knew who I was—he had a hunched, aloo...
2021-05-14 20:53:01 +0000 UTC View PostCatching the electric orb with my gauntlet was repeatable—ensuring that the bolt of discharge hit the nearby tree, showering the abomination with spark...
2021-04-23 22:47:04 +0000 UTC View PostHi all,
First, I just want to say thanks for sticking with me so far. The last few months have blown by. I've been wanting to do more Patreon exclusive content for a while, but enclave was, in a lot of ways, a constant blackhole that required multiple rewrites and extra time. Sanctum is a lot less taxing, so I figure now would be a good ti...
2021-04-15 06:50:24 +0000 UTC View PostI approached ...
2021-04-15 03:59:50 +0000 UTC View Post