Kartara’s words sent a ripple of excitement coursing through me. I’d half-feared her cynicism and distrust would get the better of her, but I’d not misjudged the huntmistress. She knew as well as I did that this was not an opportunity she could let slip by.
The first real chance the brotherhood had in years—or was that decades or centuries?—to slay a void tree. They could not let it go abegging.
I jerked my muzzle upward. But time was short, and we didn’t have mu...
2025-02-25 21:00:05 +0000 UTC
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The single glance I cast over my rear was enough to assure me that things were faring as well as they could with the brotherhood. Duskar’s cavalry company was already sheltering behind the much-expanded silver dome, and even the infantry were nearly within its reach.
The brotherhood’s farspeaker communication network was ablaze with chatter and had been so ever since the first communication I’d overheard. And even though I listened with only half an ear, I could not fail to hear t...
2025-02-25 10:00:10 +0000 UTC
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My plan was simple. To kill as many nagas as I could and in as short a space of time as I could manage. And the best way to go about that was using my telepathic abilities.
So, weaving psi, I cast.
You have activated fearsome aura.
You have failed to petrify any hostiles.
Your targets are shielded from mental manipulation by the protective aura of a level 340 young void tree.
I grimaced. The spe...
2025-02-24 21:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Day 8 of Michael’s Deadline
…
…
Passage completed.
You have entered sector 30,199 of the Nethersphere.
Warning: The rift you traversed is closing! The void tree that created the ley line between sector 30,199 and 18,240 is no longer anchoring the rift.
Estimated time until the ley line is no longer navigable: 4 minutes, 59 seconds. Return to the ...
2025-02-24 10:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Hi all,
February has been a dry spell, I know :).
I'd planned on releasing DM/Runeguard chapters, but things didn't pan out. Those chapters will still be coming—when I can't say yet—but in the meantime, I will be releasing two GG chapters per day over the remaining five days in February to make up for the lack of content thus far (for a total of 10 GG chapters in Feb).
In March, 'normal' GG9 chapter posting will resume—normal being 2/3 chapters a week...
2025-02-24 06:14:34 +0000 UTC
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Hi all,
I'm still recovering from the post-write haze after completing book 8 of The Grand Game (lol), so instead of writing, I'll be attending to some much-neglected admin over the next few days.
First up, some news regarding my upcoming releases (confirmed):
01 February: Ebook, Paperback, and Hardcover versions of The Lost Reclaimed.
01 February: Ebook and P...
2025-01-28 15:37:36 +0000 UTC
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Michael at the End of Book 8
Player Profile: Michael
Level: 273. Rank: 27. Current Health: 100%.
Species: Human. Lives Remaining: 4. Ghost’s Lives Remaining: 4.
Active Pacts: 7 / 20.
True Marks: Powerful Acolyte.
True Marks (hidden): Worthy Adversary, Wolf Protector, Wolf Progenitor.
False Marks (fabricated): Lesser Shadow, Lesser Light, Lesser Dark.
Faction Data: Forerunners
Faction officers appointed: 2. Sectors claimed: 0 / 3 (+1 fr...
2025-01-28 08:28:17 +0000 UTC
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Note from Tom: This the final chapter of Book 8. I hope everyone enjoyed the story. Let me know what you think of the book and the ending :)
______________________________________________
I spun around, fleeing once more, with Ghost by my side. But this time, I didn’t plan on going far. Drawing psi, I began renewing my buffs.
The three harbingers raced down the hill, moving faster over land than their passage through the water suggested they were capable of. Blue cam...
2025-01-25 15:00:11 +0000 UTC
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Note from Tom: One more to go after this!
__________________________________________________________
The three harbingers were less than halfway across the lake when I felt a change in the void tree’s regard. I stiffened, immediately going to full alertness. Was another attacking forthcoming? Almost certainly.
“Ghost, ready yourself. We might need to—”
“YOU… CANNOT… WIN… WOLFLING.”
For a moment, I was struck speechless. T...
2025-01-25 11:00:11 +0000 UTC
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Over the course of the next few minutes, my world narrowed to one thing only: the void tree.
The chances were good that it had picked up on my farspeaker communications, but I doubted it knew what to make of them—other than that we had a plan—and I wasn’t worried about how it would react.
The void tree also had to know the harbingers were on their way. Hells, it was likely the one to have summoned them. And that meant the stygian Power was probably keen to keep me preoccupie...
2025-01-25 06:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The next few minutes passed in a haze of concentration as I traded blows with the void tree. I struck at it with shadow, and every now and again, managed to land a physical disable—usually as a result of stunning paw or ponderous step.
It, in turn, threw a relentless barrage of psi spells at me, whether in the form of etheric lashes, stygian thorns, psychic screams, telekinetic blasts, or a whole host of other previously unseen abilities.
I weathered them all.
Not without ...
2025-01-25 05:45:35 +0000 UTC
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You have teleported onto a level 340 young void tree.
The nether toxicity at your current location is tier 30, boosting your health, psi, stamina, and mana regeneration rates to 31% per minute.
I emerged from the aether atop my target—nestled amongst its very branches in fact—and in a cloud of nether that was the thickest I had yet experienced. With my clawed basilisk feet clinging to my slim perch of ash-white and my long snaking tail sweepin...
2025-01-25 02:57:06 +0000 UTC
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You have taken the form of a level 267 elder wolf, gaining primal resistance (+30% against all damage types) and health regeneration (2% per second). Your nether resistance has reached 100%. You are now immune to all hostile nether spells and effects.
Your current nether regeneration rate is: 20%.
You have cast engine of war, increasing your Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity by +20 ranks for 30 minutes.
2025-01-24 17:09:00 +0000 UTC
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You have entered the safe zone of sector 45,104.
You have entered the safe zone of sector 12,560.
Your facial disguise spell has dissipated.
You have entered sector 18,240 of the Forever Kingdom.
The nether toxicity at your current location is at tier 8.
It took three separate portal transits to get back ‘home.’
The first portal—created by the ...
2025-01-24 14:10:17 +0000 UTC
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Note from Tom:
I think I should rename this book: "The book that wouldn't end!" :P
I've only just finished the first draft of the last chapter. That means, including this chapter, there are 7 more to go. It also makes book 8, clocking in at 185k words, the longest book in the series.
Happy reading,
Tom!
____________________________________________________
You have cast doppelganger, transforming your form ...
2025-01-24 07:46:35 +0000 UTC
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Day 8 of Michael’s Deadline
I didn’t think I would manage to get any sleep, but much to my amazement, I woke up feeling surprisingly rested and reinvigorated the next morning.
What time is it? I wondered, sitting up amongst the blankets forming my bed. Did Saf let me oversleep?
But before I could discover the answer to that, a distant shout drew my attention. A second followed it in its wake, then a third.
“Ghost,...
2025-01-23 16:39:25 +0000 UTC
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The process of replacing Kolath with Bacheus was not a short one, nor was it one Kolath was willing to let us observe. Banished to the exterior of the compound, and with nothing else to do, Shael, Anriq, Nyra, Ghost, and I sat down and exchanged tales of our respective journeys.
It passed the time, but slowly, and as the hours flew by, I grew more anxious. It was becoming more urgent that we returned to sector 18,240.
Eventually, though, a welcome Game message unfurled in my mind....
2025-01-23 06:55:11 +0000 UTC
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I stared at the white marble walls—and the gaping hole between them—my thoughts whirling. The compound’s crystal door was open.
And it shouldn’t be.
There was only one explanation: someone was waiting within. A sector boss was dead—and had been since before we arrived. Now, I knew which one it was.
The grandmaster savant—the level five boss.
“Is this a bad thing?” Nyra asked in a low voice.
I tore my gaze away from the final chamber. ...
2025-01-22 19:58:41 +0000 UTC
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The second half of my mission in the nest went as flawlessly as the first, and it was only a little later that Nyra and I were heading to Nexus.
It was time to attend to the final piece of business still left undone.
You have cast doppelganger, transforming your form into that of Vulen, a level 187 elven phantom and concealing your Powerful Initiate Mark. Duration: infinite.
Ghost has unmanifested.
2 of 2 stygian na...
2025-01-22 04:22:07 +0000 UTC
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Reaching into my bag of holding, I hauled out my entire store of ability tomes. None of the Strength abilities I’d unlocked a few days ago had proved effective against the stygians so far, but I’d not expected otherwise. The three abilities were still only at tier one, after all.
Now, though, it was time to upgrade one of them.
But only one. Sadly, I didn’t have enough ability slots for more than a single elite Strength ability.
Overpowering blow, charg...
2025-01-21 19:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Note from Tom: I've tweaked this chapter slightly to cater for some of the comments/concerns raised.
--------------------------------------------------
Day 7 of Michael’s Deadline
The next day began like any other.
But it was not just any other day. Today was the penultimate day before the battle for the sector—a battle that would determine the future of the forerunners.
The wait was over. And in more ways than one.
Re...
2025-01-21 10:00:07 +0000 UTC
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You have successfully dominated a level 240 stygian naga.
You have successfully dominated a level 244 stygian naga.
You and Ghost have reached level 263!
The blood-bindings went off without a hitch, but Ghost, Elise, and I weren’t ready to call it a day yet—far from it. While my deception skill was progressing nicely, I still didn’t have enough attribute points for what I intended.
So, we kept fightin...
2025-01-21 07:36:00 +0000 UTC
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Elise and Ghost’s training regime did not entail dashing wildly into and out of the nest as I half-feared it would. Instead, at the edge of the foothills, the pair drew to a halt.
“This is it,” Elise said.
“This is what?” I asked, inspecting our surroundings. We were in a shallow dip surrounded by tall peaks on all sides. Tellingly, it stank of stygian.
“This is our killing ground,” Elise said, voicing my suspicio...
2025-01-20 05:35:43 +0000 UTC
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Day 5 of Michael’s Deadline
Seating myself between Safyre and Adriel, I scanned the faces around the campfire. Lucius and Elise were both present, as were all the Pack elders—Duggar, Snow, Sulan, Aira, and Leta. Terence, Teresa, and Sedgwick were also in attendance, as was Keros.
“The brotherhood has agreed to help,” I said, getting straight to the point.
Sighs and gasps of relief echoed all around.
“What exactly does their help entail?...
2025-01-19 20:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Note from Tom:
Phew, the comments are really hotting up :) At this stage, I don't have time to do more than skim most of them, but rest assured that at some point, I'll give everyone's theories a deeper look :).
Still, I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying the brotherhood min-arc so much :)
Happy reading, Tom
__________________________________________________
With a deal struck and the bare bones of a plan already in place, I ha...
2025-01-19 13:04:40 +0000 UTC
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An hour later, my netherstone safely in my pocket, we reconvened in the brotherhood castle.
“So, you spoke truly,” Kartara began without preamble.
The huntmistress, her three advisors, and I were sitting around the large ornate table in the library. The four congregated at the head of the table while I’d been relegated to the bottom end. The table had been designed to seat more than twenty and the space between us yawned wide—which was no accident, I thought.
...
2025-01-17 15:36:19 +0000 UTC
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“Wait!” I called.
The huntmistress kept walking.
“Goddammit, stop. At least do me the courtesy of hearing me out!”
Kartara drew to a halt but didn’t turn around. “Why?”
“Because I have a plan—a workable one.”
“Unlikely.”
“I do,” I insisted. “Really. Trust me.”
The huntmistress finally swung round. “Why should I believe any lies you spew… Havick?” she asked with undisguised contempt.
I stared at her....
2025-01-17 09:47:20 +0000 UTC
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The next room Kartara led me to was a library. Shelves lined every wall, each full of neatly stacked books.
Striding down the center of the chamber, the huntmistress spread her arms and turned around in a slow circle. “This is the work of centuries, and contains every last morsel of information the brotherhood has gathered on the void—every report, every sighting, every encounter described in exacting detail, and—” she smiled self-deprecatingly—“and more than a few wild theo...
2025-01-16 14:00:39 +0000 UTC
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Hi all,
As some of you have no doubt realized, we are reaching the end of book 8.
There are at least 15 chapters still to go. They are not all written yet, but they will be—and soon! (I'm burning the proverbial midnight oil :))
Anyway, all of them must be released this month (release day is 01 Feb), which means that over the next few days, you're likely to get a whole lot of chapters (yes, you heard that right :)).
The flip side to this is tha...
2025-01-16 12:46:55 +0000 UTC
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I slowed to a halt. “Shall we get down to business, then?”
Stopping beside me, the huntmistress studied me gravely for a second, then shook her head. “No.”
I stared at her in surprise. “No?”
“No,” she repeated firmly. “I will not deal with someone whose intentions I do not understand, and who by all appearances knows nothing of the brotherhood, what we are capable of, or what we do.”
My lips drew into a thin line. “I assure you I know everything I...
2025-01-15 23:00:07 +0000 UTC
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