Your elemental absorption has increased to level 85.
A frost ent has died.
You have reached level 165!
Less than a minute after I fled the field the elite died. Of course, no loot chest appeared. I’d not killed the frost ent myself, after all.
But somewhat to my surprise, I earned a level from the battle. After a moment’s thought, though, I realized it was a result of the crawlers I’d charmed during the encounter...
2023-06-02 08:06:33 +0000 UTC View PostMultiple hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden.
The battle had not progressed much in the short time I’d been away. Dropping into a crouch, I studied the combatants.
The target is a level 217 frost ent. He is severely injured.
The target is a level 170 stygian crawler. It is currently frozen.
The target is a level 173 stygian crawler. It is currently chilled.
The ta...
2023-05-30 06:04:29 +0000 UTC View PostI examined the three corpses as carefully as I had the first, but my investigations revealed nothing new. Whatever had slain the ents had done so without taking any apparent losses of their own.
“We should return to the clifftops,” Ghost said suddenly.
Glancing at her, I noticed the worry shadowing her eyes. I didn’t think I was imagining it, and I was sure it was not for her own sake that she was concerned.
I shook my head. “I don’t think we can.”
DAY THREE IN THE DUNGEON
You have slept 6 hours. Stamina, mana, and psi reserves have been fully restored.
Your Dexterity has increased to rank 58. Other modifiers: +24 from items.
You have etched an aetherstone with the aether coordinates of nether portal 1 in Kingdom sector 18,240. Currently stored aether locations: 3. Charged and unetched gems: 2.
I awoke early the next morning, the dawn of my third day in Draven’...
2023-05-25 05:48:20 +0000 UTC View PostChapter updated 27 May 2023: The increase in his telepathy skill modified.
You have activated a trap!
16 level 111 swarm vipers’ deathwish abilities have been triggered.
32 level 101 swarm vipers’ deathwish abilities have been triggered.
64 level 91 swarm vipers…
…
…
32,768 level 1 swarm vipers have died!
The ...
2023-05-24 05:58:05 +0000 UTC View PostA little later, I was at the rim of one of the craters, looking down.
This crater, like the others in the cauldron, had been formed by the stone golems tossing around their boulders. But there was something else special about it, too. Before luring the elite swarm viper out of its den, I’d spent nearly half the day preparing this particular bowl-shaped hole for my plan.
Using ebonheart—or misusing it, rather—I had dug a narrow shaft into the crater’s center. But even with ...
2023-05-23 04:23:15 +0000 UTC View PostIt took me longer than I expected to find the tunnel entrance.
From the outside the narrow slit leading into the swarm viper’s den looked no different from the hundreds of other crevices riddling the cauldron floor, and in the end, I had to resort to asking Ghost for help.
It got me thinking, too.
I’d entered Draven’s Reach through a secret entrance that led directly into the viper’s den, and if not for that happy fact, I was certain I would never have found the tunn...
2023-05-19 14:35:30 +0000 UTC View PostThis time around, I forwent blinking into the cave Ghost had found for me and took the long way down into the ravine. Reaching the bottom, I looked left and right.
The long-ago waterway that had formed the dried-out riverbed had wormed through the underlying rock, exposing an untold number of cracks and crevices, all of which could be sheltering enemies. After only a brief hesitation, I set off west.
“Uh, the cave is the other way,” Ghost said.
I nodded. “...
2023-05-18 05:46:09 +0000 UTC View PostChapter updated 27 May 2023: Spell description modified.
You have killed a level 226 stone golem.
You have reached level 161 and rank 16!
For achieving rank 16, you have been awarded 1 additional attribute point and 1 Class point.
It took me another two hours and sixteen necrotic spikes to kill the second golem which, while a substantial number of nether shards, was still short of the twenty I’d estimated I ...
2023-05-17 05:18:12 +0000 UTC View PostBefore leaving the tunnel mouth, I cast my buffs, more out of an excess of caution than anything else. I’d yet to decide whether to engage the rock giants.
You have cast heightened reflexes, increasing your Dexterity by +8 ranks for 20 minutes.
You have cast load controller, granting you a 10-minute encumbrance aura that slows any armor-wearing foe within 2 yards by 20%.
You have trigger-cast quick mend. When your overall health fa...
2023-05-11 06:18:28 +0000 UTC View PostIt was not all bad news, of course.
There were some definite benefits to facing two weaker creatures instead of one higher level foe, especially since the ‘new’ vipers weren’t elite-ranked monsters anymore. That not-insignificant fact was what had allowed me to analyze the clones.
It was also why my telepathic abilities were more likely to succeed the second time around too. And after the next iteration of clones, it would be even easier. In fact, I thought, grinnin...
2023-05-09 08:21:11 +0000 UTC View PostYou have cast necrotic spike.
The final spike materialized beneath the serpent and, just like I intended, triggered immediately.
Necrotic spike activated! A swarm viper has sustained nether damage.
The serpent flashed into sight once more, this time with a shard of darkness piercing its slender body. I smiled tightly. So far so good. Hands on my blades, I waited patiently. The next move was my foe’s.
Quicker than I expected ...
2023-05-04 08:42:50 +0000 UTC View PostGhost drew to a stop before me. “The tunnel is empty,” she reported.
I frowned. “Empty?”
“Yes, Prime. I traveled its entire length. After about fifty yards, it straightens out and continues that way before coming to an end two hundred yards later.”
“I see,” I murmured, still puzzling over the fact that Ghost hadn’t found anything in the tunnel. “And did you see what lies beyond?”
“No,” she ...
2023-05-03 16:13:05 +0000 UTC View PostBefore leaving the cavern, I wrapped myself in shadows but didn’t cast my buffs yet. On this, my first venture into the tunnel, I only intended on scouting.
Time was of the essence in more ways than one. Safyre and the pack were waiting for me back in the arctic tundra, as were Loki’s agent and Saya in the valley, not to mention, I wouldn’t retain memory of the stolen spell much longer.
Still, rushing would be foolish.
Until I understood the dungeon’s true challenge,...
2023-05-02 04:13:20 +0000 UTC View PostHi ppl,
April has been a disastrous month for me writing-wise, and I got very little done.
Unfortunately, I don't have a backlist of chapters so when things go awry, they go very awry. I know many of you have been disappointed by the lack of updates and for that I apologize.
I've refunded everyone who paid/contributed since 28th March (when contributions were unfrozen) and 27 April. Patreon should refund you in the next couple of days, if it hasn't alr...
2023-04-27 15:05:55 +0000 UTC View PostTransfer through portal commencing…
Leaving sector 18,240. Entering the Endless Dungeon.
…
…
Journeying through a portal was instantaneous.
You stepped into a shimmering gateway’s depths in one sector, raced through the ley line connection, and emerged in another sector barely a split second later. The passage was seamless and without interruption—always.
Or almost always.
O...
2023-04-07 03:39:27 +0000 UTC View PostHi all,
As all of you probably know, Book 4 of the Grand Game is out, and so far, seems to be doing well! Thank you to everyone for your feedback during the release of the early chapters. And while you're waiting for Book 5, you might want to check out these fantasy promos:
Gritty Fantasy Bookfest:https://books.bookfunnel.com/grittyfantasy/wztz7kn209
S...
2023-03-03 09:00:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi all,
House Wolf, Book 4 of the Grand Game is out now on amazon.
You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKR2PPCX
I'd appreciate it if you share your thoughts and leave a review on amazon! Book 5 is also available on pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWQZX7RW
Happy reading,
Tom....
2023-02-28 22:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostLevel: 154. Rank: 15. Current Health: 32%.
Stamina: 7%. Mana: 0%. Psi: 13%.
Species: Human. Lives Remaining: 2.
True Marks (hidden): Pack-alpha.
False Marks (fabricated): Lesser Shadow, Lesser Light, Lesser Dark.
Active Buffs
Damage reduction:
Life: 0%. Death: 5%. Air: 40%. Earth: 40%. ...
2023-02-23 06:54:59 +0000 UTC View PostMultiple hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden.
In the wake of the stygian overlord’s attack, the flying serpents launched their own assault, streaming before, behind, and even through the descending magical projectile.
I was safely hidden beneath the water, though, and with no target against which to direct their fury, the serpents aborted their dives to skim along the river in search of me.
Your farspeaker bracelet h...
2023-02-23 06:51:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe river was a raging torrent.
The moment my body hit the water, I was swept away, and the hundred dark minds swooping down on me disappeared from awareness.
Limbs windmilling, I tried to right myself, but the current was too strong, and I was pushed beneath the frothing surface. Icy water gushed into my eyes, mouth, and nose. Kicking frantically, I tried to lift my head clear.
It was useless.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I closed my mouth. Calm, Michael, I admoni...
2023-02-23 06:46:53 +0000 UTC View PostYou have entered sector 18,240 of the Forever Kingdom. Reminder: This region is under assault by a young void tree that has taken root in the heart of the sector. Remaining time until the sector is pulled into the Nethersphere: unknown.
Warning: You have entered the nether! The nether toxicity at your current location is at tier 2. The dark miasma infecting the region is unconducive to life and will cause your health, psi, stamina, and mana to degenerate by 15% ...
2023-02-23 06:45:33 +0000 UTC View PostA portal has opened.
I rose to my feet. “I’m going in,” I said through the farspeaker bracelet. I padded forward, eyes trained on the luminous curtain before me, but around the corner of my eye, I noticed Safyre’s summons stiffen.
I paused and swung towards the caster. “What’s—”
“Something is coming through!” Safyre yelled. “Get back!”
My head whipped back towards the portal. She was right. A dark miasma was po...
2023-02-22 16:25:59 +0000 UTC View PostYou have entered a safe zone.
Aetherstone bracelet deactivated. Remaining stored locations: 2. Charged and unetched gems: 2. Uncharged gems: 1.
I emerged not in the center of the village as I expected but on its northern edge. Hmm, I thought, studying my surroundings with interest. No one was about to witness my arrival.
The aetherstone gem I’d used had been etched before I had acquired it—presumably by Yzark. I’d not thought ...
2023-02-22 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostHead down, and with my hands in my pocket, I left the safe zone at a fast walk. Anriq was my last bit of unfinished business in the city, and once I’d seen to him, I would be free to return to the valley and shepherd the dire wolves to safety.
The streets of the plague quarter were as deserted as I’d come to expect, and no one accosted me as I made my way to the saltmarsh district. Pausing on its watery banks, I cracked open an enchantment crystal.
You have activated a...
2023-02-22 15:02:18 +0000 UTC View PostFor a drawn-out moment, I stared off into space, dumbstruck by the options the Adjudicator had presented me with. Then, my thoughts started churning, and I began analyzing the choices on offer from the—albeit meager—information the Game had provided.
The similarities between the paths were obvious. All three modified my void armor ability and worked using the damage it absorbed from incoming attacks. In the process, they added an offensive element to void armor, which had served me ...
2023-02-22 12:27:12 +0000 UTC View PostYou have entered sector 1 of the Forever Kingdom.
A shield generator is in place around the city, preventing portals from opening anywhere except in the designated teleportation zones.
You have entered a safe zone.
I kept walking even as I exited Cara’s portal, deftly weaving through the players crowding the teleportation dais and stepping off before the knight on duty could accost me.
Cara and I had not left the tav...
2023-02-22 09:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Primes? Never heard of them,” Cara replied offhandedly.
I nodded. “I’m not surprised. Few have.”
I’d come to Cara mainly because I needed a mage—someone to open a portal to the hidden sector and keep the nether at bay while the wolves transitioned to the guardian tower’s tundra.
There were other options besides Cara—namely Moonshadow or a BHG mage—but those choices were fraught with peril too, and while I’d met my fair share of players in the Game, the...
2023-02-22 08:34:47 +0000 UTC View PostHours later, the pack council and I finished our planning. The challenge was twofold: one getting the pack to their destination, and two, surviving the destination.
I’d spent much of the time making sure the elders understood what to expect. The tundra was not just cold, its snow storms could kill, and the dire wolves were less prepared than the arctic wolves for such weather.
Then, there was my worry about how Snow and the others would react to what they might perceive...
2023-02-21 21:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostDuggar growled, and I glanced in his direction to find all four elders staring at me. It took me a moment to realize why. With my mind fully shuttered, I couldn’t hear them.
I lowered my mind shields to half-height.
“Finally!” Sulan growled. “It took you long enough!”
“There’s an intruder nearby,” I replied, ignoring her tone.
“Are you sure?” Duggar asked. The big wolf scanned the cave himself. “I sense no o...
2023-02-21 16:14:31 +0000 UTC View Post