My spear sliced in before I made impact. It dug deeper than I expected, as half the shaft sunk in as my feet finally hit. Pain raced up my feet and my knees trembled as I tried to gain purchase on the massive back of the filer. It jerked down and roared into the air, finally noticing something that was now attacking it.
The giant fl...
2025-02-28 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe guide appeared standing next to the area where the ground dropped away. “It is an obstacle course,” answered the guide, responding to Hammy’s outburst as though it were a question.
Different pathways stretched across the sky, from a vine bridge stretching from one standing stone to another to the canopy of a bunch of what ...
2025-02-26 15:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the symbol lit up, we hurried down the path. Everyone kept their eyes peeled to the skies, searching for the first of our foes. A massive cliff rose in the distance, and as we traveled it shifted closer and closer to us until we stood right before it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Hammy, stating the obvious. “We ...
2025-02-24 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostThat Which Devours:
Book One: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - Done, Second Edit - 5/58
Book Two: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - Done
Book Three: Rough Draft - 25/60
I might be procrastinating on the edits for book 1. I must start making progress on it.
Edit: Okay, I just got through the first f...
2025-02-23 22:09:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Alex’s hunger for power cannot be sated.
No matter how many skill categories she learns, dangerous situations she gets into, or how hard she trains, Class Selection never appears.
An unexpected meteor shower takes out the ...
2025-02-21 23:47:38 +0000 UTC View PostI swallowed with a smile, reading the increase to the ability. Now I had heavier armor on the areas where I generated scales.
Dengu squeaked as Hammy yanked on one end of the tail, while he yanked on the other.
Lenna spotted my look. “Anything good?”
“My defense got better,” I whispered, before turning back to the...
2025-02-21 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThis path stopped way before the other paths, turning from ferns into a lush jungle with a shady canopy.
“Woah, this is like the Sanctuary,” whispered Lenna, smiling in a beam of sunlight.
Dengu chirped in what I swore was agreement.
“You’ve been inside?” I asked, keeping my eyes peeled. The pavers ...
2025-02-19 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostVines in each corner of the room rolled up to the ceiling before vanishing from sight. I shivered, suddenly glad that none of us had gotten caught in those directions. Insight didn’t catch the creatures before they were gone.
The others went ahead, and I finally turned to leave the temple. Bright light streamed in from the open ar...
2025-02-17 15:00:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe darkness within the archway cleared as soon as I stepped inside. We voted that I’d go first, since the guide said this would lead directly to the fight. Hammy followed on my heels, while Dengu padded inside next. Lenna took the rear, again, her bow being most useful from there.
Inside the temple stood one giant room. Vines tra...
2025-02-16 22:17:31 +0000 UTC View PostThat Which Devours:
Book One: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - Done, Second Edit - 5/58
Book Two: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - Done
Book Three: Rough Draft - 16/60
The First draft of book 2 is done and it clocks in at 126k words which tracks with book 1 at 125k. To celebrate I’m relea...
2025-02-16 22:16:49 +0000 UTC View PostEverything inside me froze at Dengu’s whine.
‘Foot hurt’, he said, sending me impressions of the pain walking caused.
Somehow, he’d gotten this far down the path after falling on it, but that might have had something to do with my fear of what was chasing us.
“But, how is he going to walk?” asked Ham. 2025-02-14 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Fear shot across Hammy’s face so quickly that I felt bad about my comment. At the same time, I wondered how he'd gotten to level 22. The folks in the colony were only now getting to level 20. Though he'd been on his own, I expected a better showing with his fighting abilities. I really couldn’t figure out how he’d made it this far w...
2025-02-12 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThis time, I led the way across the symbol. Energy rushed up from under my feet, making my legs tingle. It quickly disappeared.
A breeze rippled through the ferns lining the path like a switch turning on the section of dungeon in front of us. The smell of grass and leaves rushed at me as I stepped forward. My spear hung la...
2025-02-10 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThat Which Devours:
Book One: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - Done, Second Edit - 5/58
Book Two: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - 48/58
Book Three: Rough Draft - 8/...
2025-02-10 00:11:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe first warning that something was wrong was when no one flagged the shuttle down as it circled overhead. John called me up front from where I stood in the back, talking with Hawk and Denver. The trip to the compound had taken more travel time than time spent on the ground. Soon after we landed, Hawk, Denver, Doc, and Jimmy loaded e...
2025-02-07 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostStarving?
The only time I’d seen that was in the jungle, in a fight with a skin-and-bones creature.
The Greater Raptor shifted in its sleep, though its head didn’t point our way. As it moved, more of its body came into view under a patch of sunlight. Scales and rotting feathers covered the creature. Dark red stripes ran up...
2025-02-05 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAs everyone else napped, I snacked on some more meat, staring at the blue sky overhead. I wanted to make sure my stomach was nice and full before whatever fight was the capstone for this path. We still had whatever challenge came first, and I figured it’d be easy, since it led to the last part. We knew that last part had to be a fight.<...
2025-02-03 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThat Which Devours:
Book One: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - Done, Second Edit - 10/58
Book Two: Rough Draft - Done, First Draft - 48/58
Book Three: Plotting - Just Started
I finished the rough draft of book 2! It's clocking in at 117k and by the time all the edits are done I'm estimating closer to ...
2025-02-02 22:38:10 +0000 UTC View PostThe two kids splashed in the water, and the terrifying adult T-Rex turned toward them, huffing. One kid’s head snapped under the water and it brought up an algae-covered stick, bringing it to show the bigger T-Rex, clearly it’s parent.
I tore myself away from the scene and took a step back, then another. When I heard nothing, I moved a...
2025-01-31 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostMy head snapped up to let me stare at Hammy. He stood behind me by several feet, staring at my hand. “That’s so cool! You’re like a comic book character.” In one hand he held what was left of the bandage. “I wanted to see if you’ll toss this into your inventory. I need to get one of those inventory crystals.”
I almost bit my ...
2025-01-29 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostI paused, stretching my senses outward for the location of the next target. I got the sense whatever it was, it wasn’t prey, since I couldn’t pick it up well. The stone near Dengu and I glowed a deep purple. Lenna and Hammy still fought back aways down the path, before the ferns had turned a darker color.
Everything inside me warned me...
2025-01-27 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostBook One is drafted.
Right now I am going back through the book and editing. Some of the things that need to be fixed:
Consistent System Messages for leveling classes and professions.
New Style of Character sheet replacing * with roman numerals
General line editing and spacing issues