James A. Hunter

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Nine

Logan—still inhabiting the slender form of the Destroying Angel—emerged from the stairwell and into what Chadrigoth had insisted on calling the Hellevator. It wasn’t like an elevator at all. Based on the design of the floor, Logan was now convinced Chadrigoth had never even seen a real elevator before. It was basically a classic demon level, full of black stone, belching flames, and dangling chains caped with rusty hooks. Chadrigoth had thought he’d beat Hawt Tawpic at her own chain g...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Eight

Marko’s level, The Circus Disaster, was exactly what it sounded like. A circus nestled inside of the concrete hallways of the coliseum. The food stalls, though, weren’t so different than normal arena cuisine and the aroma of the hamburgers, hot dogs, polish sausages, pizza and nachos were heavenly. Of course everything smelled so good because of Marko’s Summon Feast skills.

His faceless mannequins manned the food booths, but the dummy fun didn’t end there. All across the level w...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Seven

Since Marko was busy squaring off against the Grand Jester on the third level, Logan took over announcing responsibilities. A wired microphone descended from the ceiling far above, lost in the fluorescent lights. In his best "Mean" Gene Okerlund voice, he shouted into the microphone, now clutched in his four-fingered fungal hand. “Welcome! Welcome! Welcome to the first ever, the inaugural, the unforgettable, the Fungal Candy Clown Caterpillar Slam Fest!”

Logan waited in a wrestling ...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Six

It wasn’t fifteen minutes later that the Terrible Twelfth—five strong now—felt a Hell-Oh Portal open on the sands of the crumbling coliseum. Lou Shador and his Glow Brigade had finally arrived and they’d come ready to rumble.

Logan—both core and guardian form—stood alone in the F-Triple-C Slam Fest’s true inner sanctum. The guardian forms of the rest of his friends, including the newly ascended Chadrigoth, were already positioned on their levels of the dungeon. Even with C...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Five

Logan and his friends were speechless. The only sound was the roar of fans as the tube men flopped and flailed about.

Suddenly, the MothalMania 39 dungeon seemed like the worst kind of mistake.

Marko then let out a hoot of absolute triumph. “We win! Automatically, we win! We are freakin’ champions! Who’s the best? We’re the best.” He lifted a furry hand for a high-five.

No one responded.

Then the satyr winced. “Sorry. That dragon lady is dead. Super sad. Ad...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Four

By Monday night, Logan and the Terrible Twelfth had finished the majority of both of their Thanrass dungeons. They’d dubbed the intro dungeon MothalMania XXXIX, while the real dungeon had the unwieldy name of The Fungal Candy Clown Caterpillar Slam Fest. Sort of a work in progress title.

Logan ascended the steps to get the sands of the coliseum. There were eighteen staircases down, but they all invariably connected to different sections of MothalMania XXXIX. From there, all roads led ...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Three

Lou Shador was a lot of things, but he wasn’t stupid.

That fungal dungeon core Logan Murray was trying to intimidate him. Sure, technically Murray had become a Jade Leaf cultivator. Sure, he was teaming up with three other Azure Branch dungeon cores using his symbiotic bond. And yes, he wasn’t trying to keep his celestial node a secret. Not only had he published his blueprints, but Lou Shador had already figured out that the fungaloid and his crew of misfits were on Thanrass, a worl...

Wasteland Warlords Episode 3: Chapter 11 - High Noon in Haunt Topic

Clay looked at Griff. The old weed had one hand on the Employee’s Only door, awaiting the signal it was go-time. The others were right behind him, ready to fan out and rain down destruction on the lizardman dungeon lord from both sides, but Clay was the main course for the Voodoo Daddy tonight. Or rather, his Nega-Voodoo tattoos were.

One last time, Clay pulled the Ace of Spades and checked that the cylinder was full. Six rounds. In the heat of battle, he probably wouldn�...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-Two

Logan Murray was surprised by how many people had come to the Suprema Arena, late on Sunday night, when most of the universities had final exams started the next day. But there was a seemingly endless hoard of humans, elves, dwarves, and demons, as well as the who’s who of the dungeon core elite.

A fair number of students from Shadowcroft were in attendance as well, lending their support for Logan and the Terrible Twelfth. GK and Nemoy had come, to cheer on Marko. Tet loitered nearby,...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty-One

That Monday morning, Logan was once again on full display because for the third time, he walked the hallowed halls wearing a completely different body. He woke to find a letter from Professor Rick that had been delivered at some point in the night.

The professor was very relieved that Logan had pulled through. Rick also asked that Logan not talk about the Symbiotic bond that had skyrocketed most of the class several ranks. Rick also let Logan that Yeez was in a bad way, and most likely,...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty

Logan stood with his friends on the balcony. He’d brought out chairs, but Logan was too excited the sit. Darkness had fallen, and the sky glowed from a kind of strange moon/star combo. It wasn’t exactly the night sky but close. Sometimes the stars swirled into a milky flow and ran through heavens like a river.

Marko was back sitting with his hooves propped up on the railing. He adjusted his jaunty beret. “Are we ever going to see your guardian core matrix, bro? I’m just itching ...

Wasteland Warlords Episode 3: Chapter 10 - War Machine

Ten minutes later, the Jaeger squad was following a hacking, slashing, slicing war machine down a narrow corridor full of Haunsters. The thing—which Joe had affectionately dubbed the Ginsu Push Mower 9000—cut through hostiles like a weedwhacker through a fresh dandelions.

Joe had refitted the blades to a bunch of other junk he’d collected on their journey through the wasteland, creating a slapchop of death that carved anything in its way into bite-sized chunks. Chonk rode on his s...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Nine

Truth be told, Logan kinda liked being all of reality.

So it was a rather disappointing when Logan opened his eyes and lifted a hand to his face. He had a face again which was how he knew the experience had finally come to an end. His vision spores could tell he’d changed again. He didn’t have the thick forearms anymore. And he had four fingers now. Good thing his three magic rings were magic, or he might’ve lost them.

Nope. Ring of Armor. Ring of Blades. Ring of Pockets. 2022-12-14 18:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Eight

The next couple of weeks flew by.

Marko dove back into the world of the conspiracy theories. He called Emerick Warning Bellsman every day, using his Ventriloquist ability to disguise his voice. He had as many personalities as a team of Russian bots.

One of his personalities hammered home how weak Logan and the Terrible Twelfth were. And how weak fungaloids were in general. He expounded at great length about how shameful it was that a fungaloid had even made it this far in...

Wasteland Warlords Episode 3: Chapter 9 - Going in Loud

They fought their way through the Haunt Topic for what felt like ages, but had probably only been a couple hours, before they came to the first staircase. In every room and hall, they encountered hostiles hiding in forests of stuffed clothing racks and mountains of novelty kitsch. At first just the plague docs and acid-spewing grubs, then more Dayglo Hauntsters packing guns and spells, flying Wyrms, and headless chickens the size of those mountain Squatches with a deadly combo of poisoned, ra...

Vigil's Balance: Ten – Rules of the Game

The party continued to rage after the official announcement, but Cal, Renholm, and I didn’t much feel like hanging around with the inhuman assholes trying to murder us. So instead, we very politely said our goodbyes and got the fuck out of dodge before some Fae noble got drunk and tried to earn brownie points with Ionia by challenging me to a duel or trying to roofie my drink and harvest my organs. With our escort dead—and his head in Renholm’s stomach—we had to find our own way out o...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Seven

Logan infected Marko with his Symbiotic spores, and the fungal growths sprouted on Marko’s head and shoulders, looking like a white dust against his dark fur. His hair was slowly returning to normal, though it was hard to call him normal, since he looked like a silent French clown mixed with a farm animal.

All four of the core gems floated over the pedestal.

A second later, Logan and the Terrible Twelfth were seeing Marko’s updated Guardian Core Matrix in real time. It was bey...

Vigil's Balance: Nine – Rules of the Game

“Although I’m sure you’ve all enjoyed the lovely hospitality of my realm,” the Queen said after Gobhoill had removed of my gift, “we have not come here simply to enjoy fine food or reminiscence about days long since past. No, not at all.” She extended a delicate hand and twirled one finger. A black rose materialized in the air, spinning slowly. I’d received a rose exactly like that one a few weeks back—my ‘invitation’ to the hunt.

“We have come as is our obligation...

Vigil's Balance: Eight – Court Courtesy

EDIT: Sorry everyone! No idea how that happened. Must have switched the publication dates around! 

Against my better instincts, I dropped Darksilver off at the stables, before heading into the palace proper, which was nestled within the base of the Eldritch tree that dominated the center of Mythis Syve. My horse wasn’t any happier about it than I was—evident by the fact that he broke the first attendant’s femur, almost killed the second handler by sinking his...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Six

Dealing with Rockheart had become rough, especially for Inga, who still had to report to him because her cultivation task wasn’t complete yet. The audit was killing her. Logan was having flashback of her silverware obsession from the year before. That might have been preferable, all things considered.

Rockheart’s mood was so sour because he had to keep the force fields up in the undercroft. Otherwise, Marko’s eldritch horror cocoon would’ve swamped the library and would’ve fil...

Wasteland Warlords Episode 3: Chapter 8 - Breakfast of Champions

Before they headed out, Diebolt gave Clay a scarf covered in anime girls and books and moons with the express purpose of delivering it to Mogrifa.

“She seems to have taken a liking to you, perhaps for your appreciation for books,” the frogman said. “She may not set your hair on fire if you’re the one to tell her I’m sorry about her birthday and that I already had her present, I just lost track of the date.”

Like Diebolt predicted, neither of the Mogrifas—or the two h...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Five

Treacle’s dull, brown hair was now a bright shade of pink. Bubble gum pink, even. All the way from the hair around his horns down to the hair around his hooves. Both his horns and hooves were now red and white striped, like the classic Christmas candy canes. Treacle’s core whined with power as new candy-coated steampunk contraptions sprouted of the compartments across his body. They had the melting gummy goo off him seconds.

Treacle lifted a huge pink hand. “Well, this is not surp...

Vigil's Balance Cover Art - Reveal!

Hey everyone! Very excited to share the cover art for book 3, Vigil's Balance! Loved the way this turned out. I used a different artist, trying to style match the first cover a little more closely, and I think this new artist did a fantastic job. So much so, that I'm also having her go back and rework the second cover so the series has a greater continuity, style wise. Let me know what you think in the comments! 

Vigil's Balance: Seven – Court Courtesy

Before I could turn the elf into meat paste, something huge sideswiped me from the right, knocking me off course.

Cal, still in Centaur form.

His equine lower half melted away while his body took on more ape-like proportions. He could’ve passed as Gobhoill’s brother. He leapt onto my back, wrapping his long legs around my waist while a huge arm slipped around my throat like a python. The asshole had me in a sleeper hold. He locked in the choke with his other arm and flexed his...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Four

That Saturday at dinner, Logan sat with Inga at the gummy minotaur table.

Unlike with Chadrigoth, they were worried about moving Treacle and disrupting the ascension process inside his gooey candy shell. Something was going on in there. It was hard to see through the gummy material, but Treacle seemed to be… pinkening.

What did it mean? No one knew.

Logan pulled his eyes away from his candying friend as Shadowcroft approached the podium, situated at the front of the Golden...

Wasteland Warlords Episode 3: Chapter 7 - The Wyrd, Wyrd West

Clay cussed under his breath. So much for being fast enough.

On his heels, dozens of ecstatic spider voices shouted over one another.

“I can’t believe I finally get to taste human flesh! They say it’s the tenderest meat.”

“I call the intestines!”

“Dibs on the gonads!”

He glanced at the grating between his feet at the oncoming horde on the fire escape below. Those spider demons were pretty small, and with their fragile-looking bodies, there was no ...

Vigil's Balance: Six – Sucker Punch

I yanked on Darksilver’s reins.

The horse nickered and danced back a few steps, clearly agitated.

“We’ve got company!” Cal called.

A crystalline spear zipped through the space I’d occupied a second before and thudded, quivering, into the knobby trunk of a nearby tree. The entire shaft was made of clear stone that glittered in an errant moonbeam. I thrust a hand out and pulled from the well of energy inside my chest. Arcana surged outward, forming a dome of golden l...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Three

Logan hardly slept. He left a note for his friends telling them that he’d unraveled the twine, and he was skipping out on their morning cultivation routine because he was going to talk to Rockheart. That dumb gargoyle-griffin had a lot to answer for. It was one thing for Logan to miss out on Professor Darnol’s cool off-world cultivation, especially when his techniques had made all the difference. Well, that and the Miami Vice sweatbands.

But the twine had done absolutely no...

Vigil's Balance: Five - Fae Step Shuffle

I shot Arturo a brief wave, good luck, then nudged Darksilver in the ribs with my heels, urging him into a canter. Renholm padded along beside on Jacob Francis, keeping pace with surprising ease, while Cal walked beside me on my right. Despite all of his confident bullshitting, my spirit guide looked more nervous than I’d seen in a long time.

“Everything okay?” I asked softly, leaning close.

He grimaced and shook his head.

“I just have a bad feeling about al...

Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Thirty-Two

Marko licked his lips for a millionth time. He was sweating so much that his fur was dark. “We can’t. Inga, I’m telling you. We can’t go in there.”

They were standing outside Professor Gilligan’s office. His office hours started in five minutes. They were agonizingly early.

Marko gulped in a breath. “I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

Logan’s stomach lurched. And he ate rotting things for a living. “Don’t talk about being sick. Yesterday, in my misfit...