Even when the other Champions began to appear, Xavier had not ceased his punishing training regime.
Since the first day that he’d arrived in the Tower of Champions, he hadn’t slept more than four hours a night. He wasn’t sure if it was healthy or not, but he felt more energetic than he ever had in his life.
One thing he had discovered when he slept was that sleeping didincrease his Spirit Energy. It seemed to increase at a rate of 500 points per hour of sleep, as af...
2023-06-18 20:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Alistair Reed wiped his dagger on the dead man’s cloak. He stood, tilted his head, admiring his handiwork.
You have defeated a Level 3 Human!
You have gained 300 Mastery Points.
You have gained 300 Spirit Energy.
The man was a Basic Warrior class. His cheap, thin leather armour hadn’t been enough to stop Alistair’s dagger, especially since he’d struck the back of the man’s neck.
The man hadn’t even se...
2023-06-17 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Xavier didn’t let himself have another drink. He said his goodbyes to Sam the barkeep then headed back out of the tavern. At first, when he’d been learning more about what being integrated into the Greater Universe meant, it had invigorated him with more energy and motivation than ever.
Now, he wasn’t sure what to think. What to feel. Sam had told him there were ways to train without gaining levels, but what exactly were those ways? Did it have anything to do with the ski...
2023-06-16 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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“What?” Xavier blurted. He straightened on his stool, staring at the barkeep of this strange tavern on the bottom floor of the Tower of Champions, the pocket world he’d been sent to. “What do you mean my world won’t survive?”
“Oh, your world will survive. It’s a new resource, one that will be coveted by the more predatory kingdoms, empires and collectives among the Greater Universe. It’s your people”—he waved at Xavier—”who probably w...
2023-06-16 00:39:56 +0000 UTC
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The tavern was quite large. There were enough tables and chairs to seat at least five hundred people. Several fireplaces burned bright, wood stacked beside them, making the room warm and toasty. A lit candle sat on each of the heavy wooden tables—tables that looked to be bolted on the ground. In case of a bar fight?
Xavier’s gaze trailed around the place. When he’d opened the door, this had been the last thing he’d expected. There was a long bar at one side of the room,...
2023-06-15 00:48:14 +0000 UTC
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One moment Xavier Collins was standing in the cafeteria of his university’s campus, scrambling to get as much food, drinks and coffeeinto his Storage Ring as possible after being pulled from his class earlier in the day and forced to “fight” a Navy Seal, then thrown back to his campus to fight fifty little green goblins from another world.
The next moment, he was the one being sent to another world. A pocket world… Whatever that is.
It wasn’t t...
2023-06-15 00:47:06 +0000 UTC
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Xavier’s eyes snapped wide open, and his vision was assailed by a stream of notifications.
The first four were kill notifications.
The goblins. I killed them. I won!
He dismissed those and read on.
Congratulations, you have reached level 4!
Your health has been regenerated by 50%!
Your Spirit Energy limit has increased by 100!
You have received +1 Intelligence, +1 Willpower and +1 S...
2023-06-15 00:46:06 +0000 UTC
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Xavier lay on his back in the university courtyard, ready to greet his death, eight goblins striking down at him with swords and axes, blood gushing from who knew how many wounds in his legs, his satchel—filled with purses, his laptop and his phone—digging into his back beneath him.
When one of the swords was an inch away from his face, Heavy Telekinesis reached the end of its cooldown. He felt it click in his mind. In the same instant, he thrust his hands up in the air—h...
2023-06-15 00:44:23 +0000 UTC
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Xavier sprinted into his university’s courtyard, straight at eighteen goblins, all of which wanted him dead. The sun was slowly beginning to drop below the horizon. The sky was no longer the blood red it had been that morning. The lamps in the courtyard all came on, but it was the portal behind the goblins that was giving off the most light.
He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, which was far faster than it had been that morning. He didn’t cast Spiritual Trifecta. Not right aw...
2023-06-14 07:39:33 +0000 UTC
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Xavier’s stomach grumbled as he took a plate and piled food on it. He tried not to look at the corpse of the goblin he’d killed, dead by the soft-serve ice cream machine.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this hungry, and he didn’t think it was just because he’d skipped lunch. Another thing he’d noticed when he’d put points into his Speed attribute was that he’d… well, lost weight. The little bit of pudge that he’d been carrying about his waist for the l...
2023-06-14 07:38:18 +0000 UTC
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Xavier slammed his staff into the head of the first goblin in the cafeteria.
A massive crack sounded as the green beast’s skull caved in. Blood and brain matter sprayed him straight in the face, but he’d learnt to keep his mouth shut when fighting in close quarters.
The little beast died in a single strike. Xavier dismissed the notification out of habit.
The other three goblins noticed him, then. He’d snuck into the cafeteria when his stomach had started rumbl...
2023-06-14 07:37:07 +0000 UTC
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I think I’m an idiot.
The Lesser Goblin’s short sword came down to strike straight at Xavier’s head, and he wasn’t moving out of the way. But the moment the silver sheen of Spiritual Guidance had enveloped him, it infused him with a sense of confidence.
It felt different to last time, however. It didn’t guide his attacks, it simply made him feel as though he could take anything the enemy could dish out. Without the spell, Xavier would have winced and tried to do...
2023-06-14 07:36:34 +0000 UTC
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Spiritual Guidance – Rank 1
Spiritual Guidance is a basic Mage spell that is rarely learnt by human Mages and is only available to those with a naturally strong Spirit. Spiritual Guidance has several different paths, and is an incredibly difficult spell to master. It can enhance one’s body, mind and magic, and subtlety guide one’s actions while in combat. As a Mage advances, they may choose to specialise in ...
2023-06-14 07:35:24 +0000 UTC
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Xavier stalked the halls of his university, ears pricked for any goblins on the loose.
He stifled a laugh at the absurdity of what he was doing. He had walked these halls a hundred times. Going from one class to another. Carrying his bag and laptop.
Today, he wore grey, slashed-up robes covered in red and green blood. He carried a seven-foot long staff with a clear crystal at its end that seemed to help him channel his magic.
The belt tied about his waist had a short sword s...
2023-06-14 07:34:32 +0000 UTC
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Xavier cast Telekinesis on one of the goblins. The little beast slammed into the wall behind it. Something cracked in the creature, just as it had the first time Xavier had used the spell on an enemy.
Only this time, the wall he flung the goblin at wasn’t far away. It was right behind it. Xavier took an aching step forward, the pain in both his legs stabbing at him, his ankle—the one a line had been sliced into—threatened to give out.
It faltered, but not enough to stop him ...
2023-06-14 07:33:50 +0000 UTC
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I don’t deserve to be here, Xavier thought as the goblins outside the lecture theatre’s door kept slamming their swords into the wood. Wouldn’t be long until they broke through. I’m not a Champion. Not a defender of this world. I’m just a college kid who likes to read and write fantasy and chose the wrong damned option.
He let out a breath. His hands shook, the staff gripped in both of them.
If Julian Myers hadn’t put his gun down and surrendered,...
2023-06-14 07:33:08 +0000 UTC
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The Lesser Goblin cackled. It leapt into the air, kicked off the back of one of the seats, then fell straight at him, its short sword swinging down.
Xavier swore. He managed to block the strike with his staff, hoping the sword wouldn’t be sharp enough to cut through the wood. The strike hit with a solid thunk.
The Lesser Goblin landed on the ground in front of Xavier. It slashed out at his leg. There was a stab of pain as the sword bit into his flesh.
Xavier wante...
2023-06-14 07:31:47 +0000 UTC
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Xavier breathed. Fast and shallow.
Someone had just died in front of him. Julian. Julian Myers.
The man hadn’t wanted to fight. He had put his rifle on the ground. He could have killed Xavier in a second. Could have won the challenge. But he had surrendered.
And paid for it with his life.
And that’s the only reason I’m still alive.
Xavier had been yanked back into the “waiting room.” The black expanse of nothingness. He put his hand to...
2023-06-13 07:33:42 +0000 UTC
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The sky turned a vivid, blood red.
Xavier Collins stared at it, a frown lining his face. That’s odd. Some sort of blood sunrise, like a blood moon? He shook his head, shoved his ear buds back in and put his hands in the pockets of his plain black hoodie.
He walked over the wide bridge that separated the two halves of his city, ignoring the red sky. No one else seemed to have noticed it, after all. Traffic crawled across the bridge so slow he was able to walk faster than...
2023-06-13 07:32:49 +0000 UTC
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Hello all!
What with Hack, Slash & Burn ending, I've decided to start a new LitRPG series before writing Surgecaller book 9.
(The cover I've added might change by release, but this is what I have for now!)
I'll be uploading the first few chapters real soon. I'll also be posting this series onto Royal Road, but patrons will always get chapters here before they're released over on RR.
I'm thinking...
2023-06-13 07:30:10 +0000 UTC
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Hi all!
For those of you reading along, you'll notice Hack, Slash & Burn 3 (and the series as a whole!) is all done!
The ebook will be launching on Amazon on the 8th of this month. I will be deleting the pre-release chapters from Amazon before that happens. Those of you on the right tiers should already have received their advanced ebook copies in their emails.
As for my next writing project? I'm tossing up between writing the next Surgecaller book and starting the new L...
2023-06-05 23:58:16 +0000 UTC
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Hey all!
Just wanted to let you know that the pre-order for the Hack, Slash & Burn 1 audio is up for pre-order now!
It'll be out by the end of the month, and I think Daniel has done a wonderful job.
Let me know what you think in the comments. Are you an aubiobook listener?
Cheers,
Todd
2023-05-05 05:37:35 +0000 UTC
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Hi all! Just letting you know I've started writing Hack, Slash & Burn 3 and chapters will be rolling onto Patreon shortly.
Thanks for your patience! I know I've been away from here for a month. I was finishing off my last ghostwritten book, which means I now how no more writing responsibilities outside of my own!
What does that mean? Well, last year I wrote 8 books, but you only saw 4 of those because half weren't under my name.
So this year, you'll get...
2023-05-05 04:43:29 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone!
I've just uploaded Surgecaller 8 to the bookfunnel website, and added all of your emails (people on tier 2 and above) for access.
To get your book, just log in to the BookFunnel app or my.bookfunnel.com using the email address you used to sign-up to my Patreon.
Let me know if you have any issues, and I'll send it a different way!
I'll be taking down the chapters for the book over the next fe...
2023-03-27 06:07:37 +0000 UTC
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Hi all!
I've just posted the final chapter of Surgecaller book 8. I'm also in the process of doing the final edits, so patrons on the right tiers will be getting the ebook real soon! (A link will be posted on Patreon in an announcement when it is ready.)
That means I'll be pulling the chapters off Patreon real soon (next week), but you'll get your pre-release ebook early next week as well.
After I post the ebook of Surgecaller 8, I'll be taking a short break...
2023-03-24 04:52:41 +0000 UTC
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Hi all! Hack, Slash & Burn 2 is out in the world, and I'm about to start writing Surgecaller 8!
The first chapters should start rolling in end of this week/early next week. I'm currently rereading Celestial (Surgecaller 7) to refresh my mind and get back in the world, as it can be tough juggling multiple series.
Thanks all for your patience!
2023-03-01 22:36:04 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone!
I've just uploaded Hack, Slash & Burn 2 to the bookfunnel website, and added all of your emails (people on tier 2 and above) for access.
To get your book, just log in to the BookFunnel app or my.bookfunnel.com using the email address you used to sign-up to my Patreon.
Let me know if you have any issues, and I'll send it a different way!
I'll be taking down the chapters for Hack, Slash & Burn 2 over the next few days. The book releases to Amazon on ...
2023-02-24 07:47:15 +0000 UTC
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Hi all!
I've just posted the final chapter of Hack, Slash & Burn book 2. I'm also in the process of doing the final edits, so patrons on the right tiers will be getting the ebook delivered to their email inbox real soon!
I've been working for the last two weeks straight, very long hours, trying to get this book out by the end of this month by doing a final push, and unless something goes terribly wrong in the next 24 hours... I have succeeded!
That means I'll be pulling ...
2023-02-23 22:16:45 +0000 UTC
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Hello all!
This is a heads up to let you all know that I'm going to be releasing pre-release rough chapters of the books I write, for patrons at Tier 2 and above.
Starting now!
I'm currently writing Hack, Slash & Burn 2 (the first book is here).
I'll be dropping a couple of chapters today, then will be publishing future chapters as they're ready. :)
2023-01-13 02:28:52 +0000 UTC
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Royalties
From October 22-26, I ran a free deal of A Dark Inheritance. In those six days, I was able to give away over two thousand copies.
Why give away 2000 copies? I remember when I first thought about self-publishing, I saw so many authors giving away their work for free or 99c, thinking they must be crazy, and wondering, "How good could the book be, if they'...
2020-11-08 03:15:03 +0000 UTC
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